You have been redirected to your local version of the requested page

Advancing precision and efficiency in ion chromatography with automated inline dilution

May 6, 2024

Article

This article is Part 3 of a series.

Laboratory technicians often struggle to balance the high accuracy their analytical work requires with their full workload and limited resources. To obtain accurate and reliable results, two fundamental procedures are frequently required that afford utmost precision: calibration of the analytical system and dilution of highly concentrated samples. When using ion chromatography, fully automated solutions exist to reduce this manual lab work and facilitate efficiency. Sample preparation steps such as dilution can be performed automatically with the Metrohm Inline Dilution Technique.

Introduction

Quantification in ion chromatography (IC) requires a calibration that covers the defined measuring range [1,2]. The necessary calibration standards of different concentrations are usually prepared from a concentrated standard by manual dilution. Sample dilution is also crucial in ion chromatography to protect the separation column and detector, mitigate matrix effects, and primarily to ensure that the measured concentration falls within the calibrated range. These processes are time-consuming and pose a high risk of human error and contamination. Metrohm’s fully automated intelligent inline solution for dilution and calibration overcomes these challenges (Table 1).

The Metrohm 800 Dosino is the key to maintaining the required accuracy and precision in this fully automated process. It is a precise and highly flexible dosing device. With the MagIC Net IC software, all the liquid handling and dosing tasks are controlled and entirely automated – with no need for manual intervention. 

Table 1. Evaluation of manual and automated processes for dilution of highly concentrated samples and calibration standards.
Manual dilution, manual preparation of calibration standards and samples Automated inline process
Manual errors Accurate liquid handling via Dosino
Time-consuming Runs independently
Multi-step preparation Single-step dilution
High contamination risk Inline rinsing procedure