Procedure for removing PEG or polymer contaminant from a nanoACQUITY BEH130 C18 100µm ID column - WKB119741

SYMPTOMS

• Repeating units of 44 seen in LC/MS with new column

ENVIRONMENT

• nanoACQUITY BEH130 C18 100µm
• PEG
• polymer

CAUSE

Polymer can be introduced from hand sanitizer or hand lotion. Some new nano columns will require cleaning if there is evidence of polymer contamination or high background in LC/MS.

FIX or WORKAROUND

1. Set the flow rate to 0.5 µL/min and column temperature to 50 °C.
2. A a minimum, run six individual sawtooth gradients, going from 5% to 95% acetonitrile with 0.1% formic acid over a five-minute duration.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For additional information, see PEG contamination observed on Mass Spectrometer with ACQUITY or nanoACQUITY front end and Confirmation that Only Minimal Levels (≤ 4 pg) of Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) are Present in Waters Nano-LC Consumables