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PHOTOBLASTER® SYSTEM - 1 OPERATING MANUAL
Copyright © 1996, 1998, 1999 by Agrenetics
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Agrenetics. Agrenetics has taken care preparing these instructions, but makes no expressed or implied warranty of any kind and assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. Agrenetics assumes no liability for incidental or consequential damages in connection with or arising out of using information contained herein.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
WARNING !
1. CAUTION! Do not expose eyes to UV light! Turn off the lamp before inserting or removing the LuxTube® Assembly (patent pending). The PhotoBlaster® System is a high voltage circuit - be sure to plug it into a ground fault receptacle. If the tubing leaks, unplug the PhotoBlaster® System from the electric receptacle before touching it. Be sure all electrical connections are dry before plugging the PhotoBlaster® System back into the electric receptacle.
2. LuxTube® tubing is new and experimental. We suggest that you use caution when working with any polymer like LuxTube® under pressure. The back pressure of the detector behind the LuxTube® Assembly must not exceed 300 psi. Always wear eye protection when working close to pressurized polymer tubing and always extinguish all nearby flames when using flammable solvents.
3. LuxTube® tubing is temperature sensitive! The immobilized photocatalyst will dislodge very quickly from the fluoropolymer surface if it is exposed to temperatures above 30° C under flowing solvent conditions. The LuxTube® Assembly was designed to use with the PhotoBlaster® System which air cools the tube and maintains the temperature under 30° C during continuous use. Do not use the LuxTube® Assembly in any system or reactor where temperatures exceed 30° C. The in-line 0.5 micron all-PEEK frit which is an integral part of the LuxTube® Assembly serves two functions: (1) It retains; photocatalyst particles which may dislodge during extended use, newly formed derivatives which are insoluble in the mobile phase, precipitates which may form by photopolymerization and particles which may elute from the chromatographic column. (2) It blocks stray reflected light (within the tube) from interfering with optical detectors downstream from the reactor. Over time, precipitates may build up on the frit. You should regularly check backpressure and replace frits as needed to prevent premature leakage of the fluoropolymer tube.
4. Do not position the PhotoBlaster® System on top of other equipment. After prolonged exposure to UV light and organic solvents, the fluoropolymer tube will become brittle and will leak. (See Review of Fluoropolymer Tubing in Photochemical Reactors) Some solvents, such as acetonitrile have been reported to cause swelling, "sweating" and premature leaking of fluoropolymer tubes. However, the extremely high temperatures within some photochemical reactors appears to accelerate this phenomenon. Nevertheless, this leakage occurs unpredictably. The PhotoBlaster® System is designed so that you can easily observe leaks as drops of liquid under the instrument and turn off the pumping system. Alternatively, you can place commercially available capacitance sensor pads, commonly used with peristaltic pumping systems, under the PhotoBlaster® System to turn off the pumping system if leakage occurs during unattended operation.
5. Phosphates and some metals, including Chromium VI, Chromium III, Lead II, Copper II, Iron II and Cadmium II, have been reported to poison the photocatalyst. Also, materials known to foul chromatographic columns, such as serum, plant extracts and some environmental sample matrices, can likewise poison the photocatalyst. If / when the immobilized photocatalyst has been poisoned, no practical way exists to regenerate it, and you must replace the LuxTube® Assembly. Therefore be especially careful when preparing and cleaning up your samples. Each LuxTube® Assembly is individually tested and marked with a serial number.
6. CALCULATION OF "FLOW-THROUGH VOLUME"
For a 0.25 mm. i.d. bore, 1.5 m long tube:
p r 2 (150 cm.) = (3.14) (.0125cm)2 (150cm) = 0.0736 cm3 = 74 microliters
7. Storage after Use - Flush with pure water to remove any residual salts, etc., push out last drops with a syringe, and store in dark.
TERMS OF SALE
Ordering and Payment Address
Phone: (978) 658-4666
FAX: (978) 657-0155
Telephone orders require a signed, confirming purchase order. This may be sent via FAX, or mailed to:
Agrenetics
81 Salem Street
Wilmington, MA 01887-1319 U.S.A.
Prices
All prices are quoted in USA $ and subject to change without prior notice. Written quotes expire 30 days from issue unless otherwise extended on the document. All orders based on quotation (written or verbal) are subject to acceptance by Agrenetics. Please reference the quote number when placing an order. Prices are quoted FOB factory and do not include taxes or import duty, if applicable. Wherever applicable, taxes, insurance fees and shipping charges will be added to the invoice as a separate charge payable by the Buyer.
Shipping
We ship UPS, Federal Express or air freight and add shipping charges to the invoice. Unless the order is prepaid, Agrenetics reserves the right to select the carrier providing the best combination of service and price.
Payment Terms
Acceptance of new orders depends upon credit approval, unless orders are prepaid. Standard terms for customers with established credit at Agrenetics are net 30 days. Customers without credit will be asked to pay in advance.
Claims
Claims for shortages, errors, deficiency in product, or shipping damage shall be deemed waived by the Buyer unless made, in writing, within 30 days after the shipping date or delivery by an Agrenetics employee.
Returns and Restocking Fee
A minimum fee equal to 10% of the list price, or $50, whichever is more, will be assessed to returned shipments in addition to shipping charges. No item may be returned without permission of Agrenetics and receipt of a return authorization (RA#) number. Only unused goods obtained within the previous 30 days can be considered eligible for restocking.
Limited Warranty
Agrenetics warrants equipment of its manufacture to be free of defects in material and workmanship for a period of 6 months from the date of shipment, except as provided hereinafter. This assumes normal usage under commonly accepted operating parameters and excludes consumables such as the LuxTube® Assembly.
Agrenetics agrees to either repair or replace, at its sole option and free of part charges to the Buyer, any parts of such instrumentation which, under proper and normal conditions of use, prove to be defective within 6 months from the date of shipment. This warranty and remedy are given expressly and in lieu of all other warranties, expressed or implied, of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose and constitutes the only warranty made by Agrenetics.
Agrenetics neither assumes nor authorizes any person to assume for it any other liability in connection with the sale, installation, service or use of its instruments. Agrenetics shall have no liability whatsoever for special consequential, or punitive damages of any kind from any cause arising out of the sale, installation, service or use of its instrumentation. All products manufactured by Agrenetics are tested and inspected prior to shipment. Upon prompt notification by the Buyer, Agrenetics will correct any defect in warranted equipment of its manufacture either (at our option) by return of the item to the factory, or shipment of a repaired or replacement part.
Agrenetics will not be obliged, however, to replace or repair any piece of equipment which has been abused, improperly installed, altered, damaged or repaired by others. Defects in equipment do not include decomposition, wear, or damage by chemical action or corrosion, or damage incurred during shipment. Shipping charges under warranty are covered only in one direction. Buyer is responsible for shipping to the factory. Failure by the customer to perform normal and reasonable maintenance on instruments will void all warranty claims.
INTRODUCTION
The Agrenetics PhotoBlaster® System - 1 is an inexpensive compact HPLC post-column photochemical reactor specially designed for use with the LuxTube® Assembly (patent pending) photocatalytic fluoropolymer tubes. The low pressure UV lamp, fan air cooling and design of the illumination system keep the temperature of the LuxTube® fluoropolymer tube under 30 °C during continuous use. This eliminates the problem of relatively high temperature within conventional photoreactors which causes premature leakage of the reactor coil, and severely limits the selection of organic modifiers in the mobile phase1. This simple and easy to use photoreactor enables you to take advantage of all the benefits that the photocatalytic LuxTube® Assembly offers compared to traditional photolysis reactor coils.
UV Transparency of Fluoropolymer Tubes
Table 1 summarizes the decline in UV transparency of Teflon® FEP with increasing film thickness (i.e. wall thickness of tube) For example, a typical 1/16 inch (1.6 mm.) O.D., 0.25 mm. I.D. FEP tube has a wall thickness of approximately 27 mil (0.66 mm.)
(Note: 1 mil = 0.001 inch = 0.0254 mm.) and has a UV transmittance at 254 nm. of about 65%. For comparison, a commercially available FEP tube with a 0.009 inch (0.23 mm.) wall thickness would be expected to have a corresponding UV transmittance of about 81%. Tefzel® (ETFE) has been anecdotally reported to have about 20% better UV transmittance than PTFE. However, variations in the extrusion process can introduce "haze" in the tubing and affect the actual UV transparency of the tubes. It has been suggested that the UV transparency of these fluoropolymer tubes may be based on a diffuse radiation transfer, and that the "light tube" (internal reflectance) effect of these tubes is well known.2
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