About Shimadzu

Shimadzu released the SEC-AccuSpot-AXIMA Size Exclusion Chromatography Mass Spectrometer on September 3, 2008. By automating analytical processes that were previously performed manually, this system is able to significantly reduce the time required to analyze ultra-trace substances, such as impurities and additives, in plastics and other synthetic polymer materials.

Lower molecular weight substances contained in synthetic polymer materials (oligomers) tend to migrate to the surface of the material when forming or during use. This can reduce product durability or otherwise change the material characteristics. Therefore, identifying the molecular weight and structure of oligomers in synthetic polymer materials is an important issue. Furthermore, since additives serve an important role in improving functionality of polymer materials or preventing polymers from deteriorating, there is increasing demand for establishing methods to analyze them.

Typically, this type of analysis is performed using a MALDI-TOFMS system (matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer). Samples that are difficult to detect with the MALDI-TOFMS method, such as those with a wide range of molecular sizes, can be analyzed using the SEC-MALDI-TOFMS method, which pre-separates components by size exclusion chromatography (SEC), then analyzes them using MALDI-TOFMS. However, this method requires fractioning the sample separated by SEC, concentrating each fraction, adding a measurement reagent, and pipetting them into plates. Unfortunately, these are manual processes that require a tremendous amount of time and effort.

For the life sciences market, Shimadzu currently offers the AccuSpot system, which can perform everything from fractioning separated samples to pipetting automatically. Responding to the market’s need to reduce manual work, Shimadzu redesigned the AccuSpot for the analysis of synthetic polymer materials and linked it to a high performance liquid chromatograph. Using this SEC-AccuSpot system allows automatically fractioning a maximum of 384 one-microliter samples of separated sample.

This not only eliminates the uncertainty associated with manual processing between separation by liquid chromatography and analysis by MALDI mass spectrometry, but also allows significant time savings*, improving the efficiency and productivity of specialists.
* Fractioning a sample into 30 fractions and analyzing them by the MALDI method normally requires at least 10 hours, but requires about 3 hours using the SEC-AccuSpot.

Shimadzu is the only company that can offer a full system, which includes both the SEC-AccuSpot and MALDI-TOFMS systems. The SEC-AccuSpot system can also be sold alone and combined with a mass spectrometer from another supplier.

Name: SEC-AccuSpot-AXIMA System (full system)
SEC-AccuSpot System

Terminology

Liquid Chromatograph: Separates components of samples with complicated composition and qualitatively and quantitatively analyzes the substances.
SEC: Size Exclusion Chromatography technique that utilizes the size difference of substances to separate each component in a mixture.
AccuSpot: Spotting system for MALDI plates (Shimadzu)
AXIMA: Shimadzu/Kratos Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer