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Beckman P/ACE System 5000 Capillary Electrophoresis System with UV Absorbance and Fluorescence Detection |
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Beckman P/ACE System 5000 Capillary Electrophoresis System with UV Absorbance and Fluorescence Detection |
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The P/ACE is a state-of-the art computer-controlled instrument, providing automation to most steps of the analysis. It is important, however, to understand the components of the instrument to ensure successful operation and reliable results.
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The figure at left illustrates the
control electronics, sample handling, capillary
holder,
and detection components of the
CE system. Click on a letter for a brief
description of each component. NOTE: The yellow tint in the figures is not a reflection of poor photography. The room that houses the CE system is equipped with yellow fluorescent lights. This type of lighting is useful when handling light-sensitive compounds. |
| Vials
containing buffer, cleaning, and sample solutions are held in these
concentric carousels. The outer carousel, labeled A, serves the inlet
end of the capillary, while the inner carousel (B) serves the outlet of the
capillary.
Access to the capillary coolant reservoir is also near the carousel. This coolant circulates around he capillary to help minimize the detrimental affects of heating of the capillary. |
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B. Instrument Controls and Status Indicators
| While most of the instrument control functions are controlled by computer through the CE software, these manual controls and indicators are still useful. The digital display (A) allows real-time viewing of parameters such as separation voltage and current, and detector response. While an experiment is running, the indicators in section B show the current operation that is being executed. Of the controls in section C, the carousel control buttons are most useful. These are used to manually position the carousel for sample loading and unloading. |
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Let's see, I wonder what this is for?
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The black cartridge labeled "A" houses the separation capillary. Typically this is a coil of silica capillary 50-75 cm long. Near the end of the capillary (about where the red arrow by the A is), a portion of the plastic coating on the capillary is removed to serve as a window for the optical detection scheme. Each end of the capillary extends toward the carousel to allow interaction with the inlet (B) and outlet (C) vials. NOTE: This portion of the instrument is usually obscured by the detector. |
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Once the appropriate vials are positioned at the capillary inlet and outlet, pressure from a compressed gas cylinder (typically nitrogen) is applied inside the carousel. This pressure increase causes the vials to raise and allows the solutions to make contact with the capillary ends and the cathode and anode. |
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The P/ACE system is capable of utilizing three different detection schemes: UV absorbance with photomultiplier tube detection, UV absorbance with photodiode array detection, or detection by laser-induced fluorescence. Each option is housed in its own module and can readily be removed and switched, depending on your needs.
