Sample preparation device and method utilizing polyamide tube

• US 8,883,089 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2008
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Grenz, Robert Lee, Hudson, William Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Mui, Christine T
• Application Number:
  US12/116,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20080277347A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,380 Days
• Field of Search: 402/102, 422/102, 422/500, 422/50
• US Class Current: 422/500
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 15/1885 placed in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 15/22 relating to the construction of the column
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0631 Purification arrangements, e.g. solid phase extraction [SPE]
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/142 Preventing evaporation
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0681 Filter
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0829 Multi-well plates; Microtitration plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/50255 Multi-well filtration
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/40 Concentrating samples
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2030/009 Extraction
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 30/6043 in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 30/6091 Cartridges

Abstract

Polyamide sample preparation tubes with a hollow polyamide tube and an extraction medium contained within the tube are utilized in the sample preparation devices. The sample preparation tubes are substantially inert and show little tendency to dissolve or leach contaminants into nonaqueous liquids. The polyamide tubes may be used in preparing samples for analytical procedures such as GC, GC/MS, LC or LC/MS.

Claims

1. A sample preparation device comprising:

a hollow polyamide tube formed from nylon 6/6 with a moisture content of less than 0.2%, the tube comprising an inlet, an outlet, and an inside surface extending from the inlet to the outlet, wherein the tube is formed without an additional layer on the inside surface such that the inside surface is exposed to and defines the interior;

an inlet-side fritted glass filter and an outlet-side fitted glass filter, both filters being contained within the tube; and

an extraction medium filling a portion of the interior between said inlet-side fitted glass filter and said outlet-side fritted glass filter.

2. The sample preparation device of claim 1, further comprising a polyamide screen between the inlet-side fitted glass filter and the inlet, wherein said outlet has a smaller diameter than said inlet.

3. The sample preparation device of claim 1, wherein said nylon tube has the chemical inert quality properties shown in FIG. 6 when used in an extraction process wherein the sample is dissolved or eluted with a nonaqueous solvent.

4. The sample preparation device of claim 1, wherein said extraction medium is selected from the group consisting of functionalized silica based sorbents, resin based sorbents, mixed-mode sorbents and ion exchange sorbents.

5. The sample preparation device of claim 3, wherein said extraction medium is selected from the group consisting of octadecyl functionalized silica, styrene divinyl benzene polymer, silica based sorbent with a bonded functional group such as sulfonic acid and quaternary amine and silica based sorbents with an anionic exchanger such as an amino propyl group or cationic exchanger such as a carboxylic acid group or a propylsulfonic acid group.

6. A well plate format comprising a multiplicity of sample preparation devices of claim 1, each sample preparation device further comprising:

a polyamide screen between the inlet-side fritted glass filter and the inlet, wherein said polyamide of said polyamide screen is nylon.

7. The well plate format of claim 6, being a 96 well plate format.

13. A method for preparing a sample using a device according to claim 1, comprising:

providing the device of claim 1;

conditioning the extraction medium;

directing a sample through the conditioned extraction medium;

adsorbing one or more analytes present in the sample to be analyzed to the conditioned extraction medium; and

eluting at least one of said adsorbed analytes from the extraction medium.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising placing a polyamide screen between the inlet-side fritted glass filter and the tube inlet.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said sample is eluted with a nonaqueous solvent.

8. A method of making a device for sample preparation comprising:

providing a hollow polyamide tube formed from nylon 6/6 with a moisture content of less than 0.2%, the tube comprising an inlet, an outlet, and an inside surface extending from the inlet to the outlet, wherein the tube is formed without an addition layer on the inside surface such that the inside surface is exposed to and defines the interior;

placing an inlet-side fritted glass filter and an outlet-side fitted glass filter within said tube; and

filling in an extraction medium into the tube between said inlet-side and said outlet-side fritted glass filter.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said nylon tube has the chemical inert quality properties shown in FIG. 6 when used in an extraction process, wherein the sample is dissolved or eluted with a nonaqueous solvent.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said extraction medium is selected from the group consisting of functionalized silica based sorbents, resin based sorbents, mixed-mode sorbents and ion exchange sorbents.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said extraction medium is selected from the group consisting of octadecyl functionalized silica, styrene divinyl benzene polymer, silica based sorbent with a bonded functional group such as sulfonic acid and quaternary amine and silica based sorbents with an anionic exchanger such as an amino propyl group or cationic exchanger such as a carboxylic acid group or a propylsulfonic acid group.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein said polyamide tube is made by an injection molding process which comprises drying a nylon polymer to a moisture content of less than 0.2%, melting said dried polymer at a temperature from about 500°

to about 600°

F., injecting said heated polymer into a relatively cool metal mold under high pressure of from about 10,000 to about 18,000 psi., allowing the polymer to solidify under pressure and removing said polyamide tube.

16. A sample preparation device comprising:

a hollow polyamide tube formed from nylon, the tube comprising an inlet, an outlet, and an inside surface extending from the inlet to the outlet, wherein the tube is formed without an additional layer on the inside surface such that the inside surface is exposed to and defines the interior;

an inlet-side fritted glass filter and an outlet-side fitted glass filter, both filters being contained within the tube;

an extraction medium filling a portion of the interior between said inlet-side fitted glass filter and said outlet-side fitted glass filter; and

a polyamide screen between the inlet-side fitted glass filter and the inlet, wherein said outlet has a smaller diameter than said inlet,

wherein the nylon is selected from the group consisting of nylon 11, nylon 12, nylon 12/12, nylon 4/6, nylon 6, nylon 6/10, nylon 6/12, nylon 6/6, nylon 6/9 and combinations thereof.