Trap Column Drying for Rapid Preparative Purification
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional preparative separation/purification systems using liquid chromatographs require a long time for vaporizing and drying due to the presence of water in the eluate, which slows down the process significantly.
Innovation Solution
A preparative separation/purification system that uses a gas supply means to dry the trap column with a drying gas before eluting the target component, minimizing water content and allowing for quick removal, thereby reducing the vaporizing and drying time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If water is used as the mobile phase in the trap column to capture the target component, then the target component can be effectively captured, but the vaporizing and drying time increases significantly due to water's low volatility
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces a drying gas supply unit that supplies drying gas to the trap column before the elution step. This preliminary drying action removes water from the trap column beforehand, so when elution occurs, the organic solvent can be quickly vaporized without the time-consuming removal of water. The control unit coordinates this sequence to ensure drying precedes elution, resolving the contradiction between effective capture (requiring water-based mobile phase) and fast drying (requiring minimal water presence).
2Adaptability or versatility
If a large amount of water remains in the trap column after capturing the target component, then the mobile phase can be effectively replaced, but the eluate contains excessive water requiring extended vaporizing and drying time
Solution Approach 1:
The drying gas supply unit performs preliminary removal of water from the trap column before elution. This ensures that when the organic solvent is introduced to elute the target component, minimal water is present in the trap column, resulting in an eluate with low water content that can be quickly vaporized and dried.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts water from the trap column using drying gas before the elution step. By removing water as a separate preliminary step, the subsequent eluate contains minimal water, allowing for rapid solvent removal and significantly reducing the overall vaporizing and drying time.
3Loss of time
If the trap column is dried completely before elution, then the vaporizing and drying time is reduced, but the target component may not be effectively captured if water is removed too early
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit manages the timing sequence based on feedback from the process state. It supplies drying gas to the trap column after capture is complete but before elution begins, ensuring that water is removed at the optimal moment when capture is complete but elution has not yet started. This feedback-controlled timing ensures both effective capture and rapid subsequent drying.
Solution Approach 2:
The drying gas is supplied as a preliminary step between capture and elution. The control unit ensures this intermediate drying step occurs at the correct time - after capture is complete but before elution begins - thereby achieving both effective capture and minimized drying time without compromising either function.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach efficiently removes residual water from the trap column, enabling rapid collection of target components in solid form by using a solvent with a strong elution capability, thus improving the overall efficiency of the process.
Implementation Method 1
supplying a drying gas into the trap column in place of the solvent... efficiently removes residual water from the trap column
Implementation Method 2
a gas supply means for supplying a drying gas into the trap column... rapidly collection of target components
Implementation Method 3
a solvent having an elution capability is passed through the trap column to elute the target component from the trap column... using a solvent with a strong elution capability
Implementation Method 4
the vaporizing and drying process normally includes heating the collected solutions or centrifuging them under vacuum... rapid collection of target components in solid form
Implementation Method 5
heating the collected solutions or centrifuging them under vacuum
Data Source
AI summary
A solution containing a target compound is passed through a trap column (14) to capture the target compound in the column (14). Thereafter, wash water is introduced in the trap column (14). Then, the setting of a six-port valve (7) is changed and an on/off valve (6) is opened to introduce nitrogen gas through a supply-side passage (8) in the trap column (14). In this stage, the nitrogen gas is warmed by means of a heat-exchange block (10), and the trap column (14) is warmed via a column rack (15). Any water remaining in the trap column (14) is initially thrust upwards by the nitrogen gas, to be extruded from an exit edge (14b) and discharged through a discharge-side passage (20). Furthermore, any water adhering to adsorbent or the inner wall surface of the trap column (14) is quickly vaporized and carried away by the nitrogen gas. In this manner, any water remaining in the trap column (14) can be rapidly removed, so that no water will be included in an eluate in the subsequent stage where a solvent with a strong elution power is introduced into the trap column (14) to collect the eluate. Thus, the eluate is rapidly vaporized and dried, so that the target compound in solid forms can be efficiently collected.