When considering modern liquid chromatography (LC) systems, one of two styles of pump can be used to provide a mobile phase to the system - binary or quaternary. In quaternary pumping systems, a single pump can deliver the mobile phase and provides the flexibility of allowing up to four different solvents to be used, or mixed, at the same time.
Water's portfolio of analytical LC systems is designed to meet a variety of requirements for reliability, robustness and repeatability. In this article, we help you choose which system is best for your research needs.
System | Alliance HPLC System | Acquity Arc LC System | Acquity UPLC H-class System |
Description | The time-tested, reliable workhorse for your HPLC separations - that isn't going away any time soon | A versatile LC platform for laboratories in need of a solution to replicate or improve HPLC methods | Run true UPLC separations and maximize the efficiency of your laboratory |
Dispersion impact (relative) |
Low | Medium | High |
Operating Pressure (psi) | <6,000 | 6,000-15,000 | 9,000-15,000 |
Typical flow rate (mL/min) |
<3 |
<2 | <1 |
Optimal particle size (µm) | >3.5 | 1.5-5 | <2 |
Cost per sample (relative) | High | Medium | Low |
Optimal column I.D (mm) |
≥4.6 |
2.1-4.6 | 1-3 |
Separation efficiency |
122 |
118 | 116 |
Retention time (min) |
15 |
3.75 | 1.70 |
Initial cost of system | Low | Medium | High |
Total cost of ownership/time | High | Medium | Low |
Cost of solvent | 9x more than UPLC | 4x more than UPLC | Low |
In summary, choose:
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