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To any analytical chemist it is obvious that a given
analytical problem in ion chromatography can be solved
best by choosing the optimum column and the optimum eluent.
Nevertheless a recent marketing campaign suggests to
use so-called "reagent-free" ion chromatography.
First
of all, for anion separation this method uses potassium
hydroxide or potassium carbonate as an eluent and by
all means both are reagents! For cation separations
methanesulfonic acid is the eluent. And no chemist doubts
that this is
a reagent too!
One eluent fits all?
It is more than obvious
that a limited number of reagents for all anions
and one reagent for cations cannot perform as well as
a
specifically chosen and composed eluent with optimum
eluent strength
and customized chemical properties for suppressed
and non-suppressed IC.
Some people's IC credibility will
never be the same!
In conclusion: this so-called "reagent-free" IC
does need reagents indeed which the customer has to purchase
in the form of cartridges filled with chemicals which
subsequently form the eluent. A further fact is that
the cartridges have to be disposed of as "hazardous
waste". No "reagent" - but hazardous waste
instead?
Metrohm recommends application optimized eluents
which are far more specific and tailor-made for a given
anion separation problem. And similarly we suggest
the use of optimized
application specific eluents for
cation
separation.
Again, fact or fiction in IC: It is up to
the user to make up his mind!
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