About Shimadzu

Shimadzu Corporation launched a new addition to its Prominence Ultra Fast Liquid Chromatograph* (UFLC) series on February 4, 2008. The Prominence UFLC series provides ultrafast analysis, while maintaining high analytical precision and reliability. The new Prominence UFLCXR system and high-separation Shim-pack XR-ODS II series columns* have been developed to achieve even greater separation performance.

In recent years, ever-increasing efforts are being made in the evaluation of trace impurities to improve pharmaceutical and chemical product quality, evaluation of trace residual pesticides to ensure food product safety, and evaluation of natural raw materials containing compounds with similar structures, but that have different actions. Performing these evaluations requires analytical systems that provide both reliable separation/detection of trace compounds, and higher analytical procedure efficiency.

In conventional liquid chromatographs (LC), the use of longer columns improves separation performance; however, this also increases separation time and lowers analytical procedure efficiency. Similarly, using shorter columns to reduce separation time, or increasing the mobile phase* flow rate, sacrifices separation performance, making it impossible to accurately quantitate trace compounds based on high separation performance. Thus, it has been extremely difficult to realize both high analysis speed and high-separation performance using a single system.

To improve separation performance, Shimadzu’s new system uses Shim-pack XR-ODS II series columns. Maintaining the 2.2 mm particle diameter of conventional high-speed separation columns (Shim-pack XR-ODS series), Shim-pack XR-ODS II series columns incorporate optimized particle pore diameters as well as longer column lengths. To maximize Prominence UFLC series column performance, system pressure resistance has been increased to 66 MPa and flow path dead volume* has been minimized, effectively doubling separation performance, while preserving ultrafast analysis times. Compared to conventional LC systems, separation performance of this new system is twice as high, with analysis time reduced by 75%.

Use of this system together with our new separation columns ensures more precise and accurate trace compounds analysis and improved analytical procedure efficiency, leading to higher productivity.

As worldwide demand for UFLC systems continues to increase, the UFLC share of the current total LC market now exceeds 10%, with an annual growth rate of 20% or more expected in the future. In response to growing demands for ultrahigh-separation performance and to further increase its share of the LC product market, Shimadzu has added the new Prominence UFLCXR to its Prominence UFLC lineup to provide ultrafast analysis, while preserving both standard LC system separation performance and endurance.

The main features of the new Prominence UFLCXR are as follows.

Faster Analysis and Improved Separation Performance

Optimizing the particle structure of the packing material to improve analysis efficiency, and increasing the system pressure resistance to 66 MPa allows the Prominence UFLCXR to deliver a two-fold improvement in separation performance and reduce analysis time by 75% over regular LC systems.

Maintaining Outstanding Prominence UFLC Series Performance and Functionality

Increasing sample injection speed allows the Prominence UFLCXR to complete a sample injection in just 10 seconds, minimizing wait time during repeated analyses and improving total analysis throughput.

In addition, this new system comes equipped with all the basic features and advanced functions of Prominence UFLC series instruments, including system control via Internet Explorer, a high-stability absorbance detector that uses a temperature-control mechanism, outstanding injection volume and retention time reproducibility, and low carryover*, a prerequisite for high-sensitivity LC-MS analysis.

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