Here at Restek our company has a core value referred to as “In the Light.” For me, I like to think of it as no skeletons in the closet. So, time for me to shine a little light. I already introduced you to the SPME Arrow. I also addressed the SPME Arrow’s larger diameter and if there are any associated issues of septa coring. Today I reveal how much lunch costs.
As Hailey pointed out last time, the SPME Arrow has a larger sheath. With only one exception, all of the SPME Arrows have an outside diameter of 1.1 mm. We also have a 1.5 mm Arrow which sports 250 µm of PDMS. To put things in perspective, a traditional SPME fiber has an outside diameter of ~0.63 mm. So, in order to take advantage of the SPME Arrow’s mechanical ruggedness and increased phase volumes, you will have to install a GC Inlet Conversion Kit. Obviously, we have these available for you. In addition, your traditional SPME fiber holder will not work with the SPME Arrow. So you will have to use an appropriate SPME holder. And finally, if you are using a “rail” system (e.g., Gerstel MPS) on your GC, you will have to contact your rail manufacturer to secure an appropriate set-up for the SPME Arrow.
So there you have it… that is the catch! Relatively painless in my opinion. Especially when I know you have a drawer full of these:
It is important to keep in mind that these conversion kits do not render your inlet SPME Arrow only. You can continue to use the same inlet as usual for everything else. The problem is that the original inlet on your GC can not accommodate the increased SPME Arrow diameter.
