Porvair Sciences offers a wide range of products to implement SPE extraction. Solid-phase extraction (SPE) is a method of sample preparation that concentrates and purifies analytes from solution by sorption, followed by elution of the analyte with a solvent appropriate for instrumental analysis, such as LC-MS.

MicroLute™ is the original SPE 96-well plate format for SPE. According to Porvair Sciences, the device consists of a ‘polypropylene 96-well plate loaded with a choice of sorbent and sorbent volumes’. Also, they mention that the frits have a ‘mean pore size of 20 microns and are made from microporous high-density polyethylene’.

Solid-phase extraction uses the difference of attraction between an analyte and interferents, present in a liquid matrix, for a solid phase (sorbent). It is the attraction that allows the separation of the target analyte from the interferents.

There are several steps involved with a solid-phase extraction; they include:

First, the cartridge is conditioned with a solvent to wet the sorbent. After that, the loading solution containing the analyte is infiltrated through the solid phase (SP). Ideally, the analyte and some impurities are retained on the sorbent. The sorbent is then washed to remove impurities, and the analyte is collected during this elution step.

Porvair Sciences have a vast range of products which includes; vacuum manifolds, sealers, evaporators and microfilter plates, deep well and shallow good storage plates, assay plates, luciferase reporter gene plates and liquid handling reagent reservoirs.

Porvair Sciences also provides custom microplate products for life science research. Their vacuum manifolds are essential for 96-well SPE sample preparation, are designed to work with most popular filter plates, including Waters, Millipore, Qiagen, Whatman, GE Healthcare, Varian, Biotage and, of course, Porvair.

Porvair Sciences mention in their words that solid-phase extraction (SPE) is a sample preparation technique generally used in analytical laboratories for the removal of analytes from a complex matrix. This sample preparation technique helps with the extraction, the clean-up and the concentration of analytes before their quantification.

Additionally, solid-phase extraction can take less the chances of problems occurring, with liquid-liquid extraction, and this, in turn, improves quantitative recovery yields. It is a quick technique (most extraction in less than 30 min), easy to perform and can be automated. Also, this technique is suitable for the pre-treatment of complex matrices such as urine, blood, food samples, water etc.

A broad range of phases exists for SPE. Most of them are based on ionic, hydrophobic or polar interactions. Their selectivity is limited, and the target analyte often co-elutes with interfering compounds. On the other hand, there are molecularly imprinted polymers are the most highly selective phases available today. This technology enables to reduce the presence of interferents during the elution step and obtain higher recoveries in chromatography analysis even at low levels.

Porvair Sciences are experts in the business, and of the development of molecularly imprinted polymers, they have developed a range of selective solid Phase Extraction sorbents using the molecular imprinting procedure for sample clean-up before analysis.

It is evident that solid-phase extraction is a well-established technique, and fortunately, Porvair Sciences offers a wide range of products to implement the SPE extraction.

Contact Microplates today if you require more information about SPE extraction, SPE plates or SPE frits. If you have any questions or queries, you can call +44 (0)1978 661144 or email [email protected].

SOURCE: The News Front [Link]