Chromatography Forum

I need to evaporate chlorform solutions of phospholipids using nitrogen. Currently we use a pierce Reacti-vap that is hooked up to a Gast air pump and we dry down our extractions using air. Problem is air will hydrolize or oxidize the lipids.

I've never had to use nitrogen to dry down specimens. How do you hook up nitrogen to an evaporator? How is the flow controlled? How do you turn off the flow? With an air pump all you do is turn off the pump.
We use N2 as a carrier gas for a GC/FID but I don't know how to hook it up to an evaporator.

TIA

Mike

You'll need to install a regulator to control the flow from the tank to the drydown unit. Use either the regulator to turn the flow on/off, or if you like, install a shut off valve after the regulator and before the reactivap.

http://www.piercenet.com/files/0102as4.pdf

For these units http://www.organomation.thomasregister.com/
you just need a nitrogen cylinder and regulator.

The larger, 100 tube capacity models, have in-built flow regulators for fine tuning and the tube locations can be shut down or blocked off as needed.