Radio detector gets the full picture for UHPLC

26 September 2005

Beta-RAM, the on-line radioactivity detector from LabLogic Systems, ensures that sufficient data is captured when using the new ultra high pressure liquid chromatography method (UHPLC).

The shorter run times achieved by UHPLC are made possible by faster elution of the sample, which produces peak widths of around 10 seconds, compared with typically 60 seconds or more using conventional HPLC.

With an output of 10 data points per second, Beta-RAM gives the user the opportunity to record up to 100 points in a 10-second peak.

In the same circumstances, a similar detector currently on the market can capture only 10 data points, resulting in reduced accuracy when calculating peak area.

Beta-RAM is the most sensitive on-line radioactivity detector available. It uses high specification 1 inch photomultiplier tubes to maximise signal-to-noise ratios for ultra-low backgrounds (less than 4 cpm for tritium and less than 1 cpm for carbon-14) combined with optimum counting efficiency (more than 60% and more than 90% respectively). At 348 x 330mm (horizontal) or 152 x 330mm (vertical), it also has the smallest footprint.

Beta-RAM was recently used successfully in comparisons of UHPLC and conventional LC systems detecting radio-labelled markers in routine work flow samples for matching with MS/MS data.

See details of the trials.