Unified Chromatography: The Swiss Knife of Analytics

Shimadzu, one of the world leaders in analytical instrumentation, has released the new Nexera UC SFE/SFC/MS platform combining quick and easy on-line sample extraction with state-of-the-art chromatographic separation and high sensitivity detection. For the first time ever, it showcases complete automation of SFE sample pre-treatment and analysis by liquid or supercritical fluid chromatography.

The Nexera UC system is designed to fulfil the measurement requirements of a wide range of applications including: monitoring of pesticides in food products; investigation of biomarkers; additives in polymers; drug discovery in pharmaceuticals and biopharmaceuticals, environmental controls and cleaning validation, to name just a few.

Increasing speed and efficiency while reducing the risk of human error in the analytical workflow

The Nexera UC online SFE-SFC approach eliminates the need for tedious, manual sample pretreatment. All samples are extracted under light-shielding, anaerobic conditions, enabling highly reproducible analysis even of unstable compounds that are easily oxidized or degraded using a conventional liquid extraction method. Notably, analysis of pesticides in food products with the state-of-the-art Nexera UC system and sample preparation in the SFE unit takes just a fraction of the time required when using the traditional QuEChERS method. Furthermore, the fully automated Nexera UC system offers much higher recovery rates of target analytes while significantly reducing the risk of human error during sample pretreatment.

Nexera UC system highlights

1. World’s first-ever unified and fully automated system combining supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) with supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC)

2. Industry-leading sample throughput for supercritical fluid extraction, enabling up to 48 samples to be continuously and automatically processed

3. Achieves the highest levels of sensitivity due to split-less injection of the entire volume of eluent into the mass spectrometer

Technological background

The innovative Nexera UC system offers a supplementary chromatographic technique to conventional LC and GC analysis that enables separation of an even wider range of non- to very polar analytes. Automated extraction and chromatography is achieved using a mobile phase of supercritical carbon dioxide which exhibits the solubility of a liquid with the diffusivity of a gas. Solvent strength can be increased by adding a polar co-solvent. SFE and SFC are therefore faster, more efficient, cheaper and more environmentally friendly than other methods using large amounts of toxic organic solvents.

The Nexera UC system was developed in collaboration between Shimadzu Corporation, Osaka University, Kobe University and Miyazaki Agricultural Research Institute, which is funded by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST).