Solid Phase Extraction

Solid phase extraction or SPE is a form chromatography designed to extract, partition, and/or adsorb one or more components from a liquid phase (sample) onto stationary phase (sorbent or resin). SPE is become the most powerful technique available for rapid and selective sample preparation (prep) prior to analysis by advanced analytical instrumentation such as LC\GC\MS. SPE extends advanced instrument’s lifetime, improves qualitative and quantitative analysis, and by changing an analyte of interest’s original matrix environment to a simpler matrix more suitable for subsequent analysis, the demand placed on an analytical instrument is considerably lessened.

Caliper offers a wide range of automation for SPE with a goal of improved reliability, create affiancing, and streamline the sample preparation process. Caliper Tube based SPE products include the RapidTrace® SPE Workstation and the AutoTrace® SPE Workstation. Each product meets a different need in the approach to automating solid phase extraction.

Caliper’s RapidTrace SPE Workstation eliminates SPE bottlenecks, so that your lab can realize the full benefits of today's powerful -and costly-analytical instruments. The RapidTrace is the perfect complement to high-speed analytical techniques, a powerful high throughput workstation dedicated specifically to SPE bioextraction. In its full modular configuration, a single workstation can process 40-60, even 100, samples per hour. The RapidTrace has been designed with a modular architecture allowing the user to add individual modules as sample throughput increases. Each module is capable of processing 10 in a variety of tube sizes. The unit has a Ten position SPE column turret that accepts any 3 mL or 1 mL syringe barrel SPE columns (adapters available for SPE disks or soft gel cartridges). The RapidTrace is designed for low volume SPE on a variety of samples and are in use in thousands of labs in a variety of industries. Some common market segments include Drugs of Abuse Testing facilities, CROs , Forensic Testing, Clinical Labs, Pharmaceutical /biotech companies, and Food and beverage companies.

Caliper Life Sciences AutoTrace SPE Workstation is designed to automate SPE of large volume aqueous solutions. The sample sizes can range to a liter. The product is ideal as a sample preparation tool for the water testing, and environmental markets. The AutoTrace uses six positive displacement pumps to transfer the sample from the sample bottles to the SPE cartridges. These pumps are unique in that they are valveless allowing the AutoTrace to handle samples containing suspended solids. After the samples have been loaded onto the SPE cartridges, the reagent handling syringe withdraws the elution solvent from the reservoir and transfers it to the SPE cartridge for elution. The AutoTrace is in common use in environmental labs all over the world.