Charged aerosol detection for HPLC

The ESA Biosciences Corona Charged Aerosol Detector for HPLC is claimed to offer all-in-one performance benefits that refractive index (RI), low wavelength (UV), evaporative light scattering (ELS) and chemiluminescence nitrogen (CLN) detector methods lack.

Its performance typically provides 10 times the sensitivity of ELS, a broad dynamic detection range over four orders of magnitude, more consistent response factors independent of chemical structure and full gradient capability, delivering almost complete universality.

Charged Aerosol Detection is a robust HPLC detection technology. The HPLC column eluent is nebulised and the resulting droplets are evaporated at ambient temperature producing analyte particles. A second stream of gas is positively charged as it passes a high-voltage, platinum corona wire. The charged gas collides with, and transfers charges to, the opposing stream of analyte particles.

A negatively charged, low-voltage ion trap removes high-mobility ions while analyte particles transfer their charge to a collector. The charge transferred to the collector is in direct proportion to analyte mass.