The LC Side of “Do More with Less”
Agilent InfinityLab LC Solutions

Table of Contents

Introduction

4

Chapter 1: The Secrets to a Happy Lab

6

Employee Engagement

7

Removing Tedium

8

Eliminating Low-Value Activities

10

Simplifying the Complex

12

One Interface in Many Chromatography Data Systems (CDSs)

14

Taking the Touchy to the Routine

16

No One Enjoys Broken Instruments

18

Information on Demand

19

Chapter 2: One Instrument, Many Methods

20

Skyrocketing Costs

21

Expect More from Your UHPLC

22

Replace UHPLCs from Other Vendors

24

Space-worthy technology

26

Any Sample Format

28

4+ Days of Uninterrupted Running

30

Wide Range of Capabilities Is a Must

32

Dreams Come True in Method Screening

34

Chapter 3: Reaping the Business Benefits of Modern LCs

36

Corporate Responsibility

37

UHPLC Pros and Cons

38

Going Green40

Safely Sharing Instruments

41

Stepwise Investment

42

Total Cost of Ownership

44

The Importance of Stackability

45

References

47

Introduction

There’s Nothing Routine about Today’sLaboratory Environment
This year marks the 19th year I have walked the halls of what are sometimes
referred to as “routine” laboratories–the ever-precious labs that continually
ensure our water, food, medicine, and consumer goods are safe, effective, andauthentic. These labs are filled with heroic and talented scientists and analysts,
all of whom go to great lengths to do good science while under tremendous
pressure, whether it is due to a deluge of samples from a recent food scandal
or the check of a synthesis process that must be perfectly monitored.
Over the years I have seen these pressures only increase: resources are
getting more expensive (energy, gases, reagents, solvents, lab space, talent)
and analytes are becoming more and more complex (for example, antibodydrug conjugates, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, cannabis). The goodnews is that the vendors who supply laboratory equipment, consumables,
software, and services are rising to the challenge; constantly innovating sothese labs can continue to deliver the highest quality of data while making
what used to be very manual and error-prone, more automated and efficient.
In these pages, you will read how we at Agilent Technologies have strived
to make the most sophisticated, sometimes space-travel worthy, technology
available to the laboratory environment in ways that increase sample throughput,
boost uptime, and maximize space utilization, all while being a joy to use.
Another area of increasing pressure in the analytical lab is that of everchanging technology and the vast amount of information that is readily
available; these dynamics simply were not around when I ran my first test

4

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

on a finished drug product almost 20 years ago. Though the “consumptiongap” was certainly present, it wasn’t a common term in discussion and
it definitely did not apply to liquid chromatography. This too has changed–
we know from our constant interactions with users and customers
that even the most valuable features are underutilized; the capabilities
that are embedded in Agilent liquid chromatographs to make the lives ofthese chemists easier are not always known and appreciated.
This eBook is an effort to change that–it provides a detailed overview
of the unique approaches Agilent has developed to solve the everyday,
but certainly not “routine”, problems in the modern laboratory.
Jade C. Byrd,
Director of Industry Marketing, Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Jade has worked with laboratory-driven organizations
implementing LC and LC/MS solutions for 13 years, first as anapplications chemist and then as a product manager. Prior toworking for LC vendors, Jade worked in the pharmaceutical spacedoing routine analysis and software-assisted chromatographic
method development and validation. Today, Jade works to ensurethat Agilent InfinityLab LC Solutions meet both the technical andbusiness needs of her user communities, which include the (bio-)
pharmaceutical, environmental, research, food, chemical, andenergy markets and she is passionate about LC and LC/MS.

5

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 1

The Secrets to a Happy Lab
Allow your staff to focus on what’s important

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Given the opportunity 44% of
surveyed chemists would
leave their current job

Chapter
Theskills
Secrets to a Happy Lab
Don’t
use 1:
their%
44
Employee Engagement

20% of surveyed chemists
felt their job was not fully
utilizing their skills

20%

In a recent survey of analytical chemists, 44% were open to leaving theirjobs given the opportunity and only 80% of respondents felt that their job
was fully utilizing their skills.1 While the nonscientific community struggles
more with disengaged employees, it is clear to every lab manager that thequality of the results generated by the lab is affected not just by the skillof the laboratory staff but also by their loyalty and commitment.2

Would leave their job
Given the opportunity 44%
of surveyed chemists would
leave their current job

44%
Don’t use their skills
20% of surveyed chemists
felt their job was not fully
utilizing their skills

20%

Figure 1. Flask half full? Modern LC instrumentation can help scientists feel more fulfilled in their workby reducing the burden of manual labor.1

7

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 1: The Secrets to a Happy Lab

Removing Tedium
A major source of dissatisfaction in the laboratory is the need to spend
time on monotonous tasks such as performing serial dilutions forcalibration curves. Fortunately, modern LC instrumentation can reliably andreproducibly perform this task. The Agilent 1260 Infinity II Multisampler,for example, can perform precise dilutions within the autosampler device
that correlate very closely to manual preparations, see Figure 2 (below).

Injector program:

Manual dilution:

Calibration table

Calibration table
Level

Avg.response Avg.amount Residual per level

Rel.residual

Rel.residual %ResponseAmount

Level

1

0.392

0.013

Avg.response Avg.amountResidual per level Rel.residual

Rel.residual %ResponseAmount0.25451.8463184.6270

0.392

0.012800000

1

0.320

0.013

-0.0087-0.0265-2.6456

0.320

0.012800000

2

1.492

3

8.434

0.064

-0.0686-0.0440-4.4002

1.492

0.064000000

2

1.701

0.064

-0.0434-0.0249-2.48651.701

0.064000000

0.320-0.2373-0.0274-2.73678.434

0.320000000

3

8.748

0.320

-0.0748-0.0085-0.84758.748

40.320000000

44.2431.600

0.01340.00030.030344.2431.600000000

444.2591.600

0.04580.00100.103544.2591.600000000

5222.065

8.000

0.04580.00020.0206222.065

8.000000000

5221.273

8.000

0.10280.00050.0465221.273

8.000000000

61110.958

40.000-0.00780.0000-0.00071110.958

40.000000000

61105.928

40.000-0.02170.0000-0.00201105.928

40.000000000

Figure 2. A comparison of manually prepared standards to those made in situ within the 1260 Infinity II
Multisampler using the injector programing capabilities.

8

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Mind behind the Science"With the multisampler, there were plenty of engineering challenges that
we overcame: the hotel approach, putting multiple plates in a verticalconfiguration in the same space as the injector, had not been done before.
At first, I was doubtful we could cope with that, but we had some brilliant
engineers on the team, and after some very encouraging feasibility studies,
we moved forward with it. What we can do with one transport device
required the combination of creating clever new mechanical parts andvery sophisticated algorithms in the firmware, especially the calibrationof the robot [position]. The firmware team really did a tremendous job!”– Matthias Wetzel, PhD,
Senior Engineering Director, Agilent Technologies, Inc.

9

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 1: The Secrets to a Happy Lab

Eliminating Low-Value Activities
Additionally, the Agilent 1260 Infinity II Flexible Pump and the Agilent 1290
Infinity II Flexible Pump can create various concentrations and mixturesof mobile phase using software commands alone, a feature in the instrument
control software called Blend Assist. These capabilities lead to a more
pleasant laboratory environment because your highly trained staff is not
wasting time on low-value, mundane activities.
TramadolmAU

Blend Assist 0.02% TFA
Blend Assist 0.05% TFA
Blend Assist 0.1% TFA
Blend Assist 0.2% TFA
Manually mixed 0.2% TFA

3

Imp 2
Imp 1

2.5

Imp 3 Imp 4
2

1.5

1

0.5

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

min

Figure 3. The 0.2% TFA chromatogram (in red) shows the best
separation of the main component and Impurity number 2. The
mixing accuracy of the mobile phase composition created by
BlendAssist software matches well with the manual preparation of
the mobile phase (in blue).

There are also additional cost savings related to a reductionin the use of volumetric glassware and mobile phase bottles.
10

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Learn more
Watch a video to learn more about the 1260 Infinity II LC
with BlendAssist software.
Download application notes from the Agilent
Application Finder.

11

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 1: The Secrets to a Happy Lab

Simplifying the Complex
The quality of equipment and laboratory space was reported by 83%
of the analytical chemists that participated in the study (mentioned
beforehand in the chapter “Employee Engagement”) as one of their
top ten reasons for job dissatisfaction.1 This directly correlates tothe reliability of instruments and their ease-of-use.

Notice the quality of equipment
and lab space

83%

83% of analytical chemists surveyed
listed the quality of equipment andthe laboratory space as one of the top
ten reasons for job dissatisfaction

Figure 4. What’s in your toolbox? Quality instruments make scientists happy.1

As LC instrumentation advances, more and more configuration options
become available (for example, multiple columns or different flow cells
within an optical detector). In order to encourage a more error-freeenvironment, it is important to provide the tools for both new andexperienced analysts to run assays with a clear understanding of what is
installed within the LC modules. Refer to Figures 5 and 6 for an example,
where a user-centric software design has been fully implemented to allow
analysts to understand the configuration of their instrument with a glance.

12

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Figure 5. The instrument dashboard within the instrument control software clearlyshows which type of flow cell is installed. This view is the same in a non-Agilent
data system as in an Agilent data system.

Figure 6. Color-coded references of the installed columns in the instrument control
software make it easy to understand what is installed in the instrument.

13

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 1: The Secrets to a Happy Lab

One Interface in Many Chromatography
Data Systems (CDSs)
The user-centric approach shown in Figures 5 and 6 has been implemented
within Agilent’s RC.NET interface and Instrument Control Framework,
enabling the same user experience and training approaches for using
Agilent LCs within a non-Agilent data system as with a data system in
the OpenLab CDS suite. When an instrument is straightforward to use,experienced chromatographers can focus their talents on high-value (andmore interesting) tasks.

“The Agilent 1290 Infinity II is extremely useful because evennonanalytical researchers can easily perform measurement tasks."– Kazuaki Kanai, PhD,
President & CEO of JITSUBO

Learn more
Download application notes from the Agilent Application Finder.

14

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Mind behind the Science“The one thing that I’m most proud of considering our instrument control
strategy, is that with the advent of the RC.NET interface and Instrument
Control Framework (ICF) and the generalization that we made there, we
are now able to quickly deliver a new product or an enhancement to a new
product with its complete functionality to multiple data systems at thesame time… our users who are in non-Agilent data systems can enjoy thepower of the Agilent LC systems as we intend them to; we can take carethat whatever experience a user is having, either in our data system orfrom someone else, the experience is at the quality standards that weset, as Agilent.”– Peter Nill, PhD,
Product Manager, LC Instrument Control

15

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 1: The Secrets to a Happy Lab

Taking the Touchy to the Routine
For example, the adoption of truly orthogonal approaches, like Supercritical
Fluid Chromatography (SFC), in labs that support production has largely
been stymied by the perception that the technique is not appropriate forroutine use. While there have been several publications where SFC has
been shown to provide reliable and excellent results analyzing enantiomers,
surfactants, explosives, essential oils, and lipids, the Agilent InfinityLab
SFC Solutions have been specially-designed to be robust even for labs withthe highest sample throughput demands.3
2.840
Injection volume: 10.0 µL

2.641
2.447

4.286

0

1

2

3

4

5

min

Figure 7. SFC separation of theophylline, caffeine, thymine, and theobromine using thenovel FEED injection principle from Agilent. This injection principle provides additional
robustness to SFC experiments because large injection volumes can be used without
the degradation of the chromatography, which would normally occur from strong
solvent effects.

16

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

“The Agilent 1260 Infinity II Analytical SFC System is reliable and robust.”– Li Lin, PhD,
Director of Analysis, Bellen Chemistry Co., Ltd.

Learn more
Download our SFC application compendium with examples
from the application fields of pharma, biopharma, food,and forensics as well as from chemicals and energy.

17

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 1: The Secrets to a Happy Lab

No One Enjoys Broken Instruments
No matter how easy an instrument is to use, the instrument uptime isa critical parameter that leads to employee satisfaction. Unpredicted
downtime can add additional stress to the lab environment and can leadto major conflict. Extensive troubleshooting is an additional waste of talent.

“We don’t have any idle instruments so for us
it’s especially critical to have instruments that just function
and are something that I don’t need to worry about."– Julie Kowalski, PhD,
Chief Scientific Officer, Trace Analytics

Mind behind the Science“When it came to testing, the challenge was with the reliability testing; youcan find yourself in a delicate position if the robustness tests come backand show we need to make a change after the design is frozen. The trick
is not to be at the very edge; you need room to have the freedom to makeimportant improvements as you learn more.”– Matthias Wetzel, PhD,
Senior Engineering Director, Agilent Technologies, Inc.

18

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 1: The Secrets to a Happy Lab

Information on Demand
Career development activities for laboratory staff are recommended
by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization as a way toensure a positive working environment.4 This brings us to the final pillarof employee retention–good training opportunities. The demographics oftoday’s modern analyst mean that LC training information must be current,
searchable, and readily-available. To respond to this expectation, Agilent
provides a searchable Information Center with every instrument purchasewhere users can self-educate on topics when needed, giving analysts the
on-demand experience that they are accustomed to.

Figure 8. The Agilent Information Center has instruction videos such as this one
demonstrating drawer removal in the 1260 Infinity II Multisampler.
19

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 2

One Instrument, Many Methods
The days of dedicating instruments to methods are over

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 2: One Instrument, Many Methods

Skyrocketing Costs
A 2004 publication exploring best practices for solid waste testing
describes a long foregone situation: contract laboratories were able
to achieve economies of scale by dedicating LC instruments toa particular analyte, independent of the customer or sample type.5
As sample throughput demands increase, a common solution is
to purchase and install more LC instrumentation; however, given
the current costs of laboratory space (Figure 9), this approach is viable
for only so long.6

Montreal$16 /sq. ft.

TorontoBoston$23 /sq. ft.

$53 /sq. ft.

San Francisco$60 /sq. ft.

Research Triangle Park

$25 /sq. ft.

San Diego$34 - 60 /sq. ft.

Figure 9. Merely installing more LC instrumentation is a short-term fix given the high cost to rent lab space.6

21

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 2: One Instrument, Many Methods

Expect More from Your UHPLC

Absorbance [mAU]

A key strategy for many savvy lab managers is to invest in multipurpose
LC systems–those that can either run both HPLC or UHPLC methodologies
in a single flow path or systems that can run multiple methods overnight(or, more commonly, over the weekend) without human intervention. In thefirst case, traditional approaches require a compromise in reducing system
volume in order to run sub-2 µm column chemistries, but those design
decisions have prevented the low-dispersion instruments from continuing
to run HPLC-style experiments.7 Agilent Intelligent System Emulation
Technology (ISET), which enables UHPLCs to emulate legacy HPLCs by
providing similar retention times and chromatographic resolution, is thesolution for this fundamental problem.8

Agilent 1290 Infinity
Binary LC with ISET

Waters Alliance 2695
3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Time [min]Figure 10. Overlay of an Agilent 1290 Infinity II LC system emulating a Waters
Alliance 2695 HPLC using ISET (in blue), delivering similar retention times andchromatographic resolution as the original method (in red).

22

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Learn more
Download application notes from the Agilent Application Finder.

Mind behind the Science"The 1290 Infinity system was optimized for very low dwell volumes andhigh pump accuracy. Some customers wanted to run their legacy methods
on the new system but got deviating results due to the differences insystem characteristics… an issue that needed to be addressed right away.
We decided to go for a software-based system emulation (ISET) as we
needed to address a large number of different system configurations(including systems from other vendors), which would have been impossible
to achieve with hardware-based approaches.”– Monika Dittman, PhD,
Principal Scientist, Liquid Phase R&D, Agilent Technologies, Inc.

23

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 2: One Instrument, Many Methods

Replace UHPLCs from Other Vendors
The ability of a single instrument to run a wide range of applications,
including HPLC and UHPLC in a single flow path, is a significant
improvement over the prior practice of needing to dedicate specificinstruments to UHPLC.
mAU

2.742

Agilent 1290 Infinity II LC with ISET

400

3.184

3.300
3.433

300

1.298

200
100
0
0

1

2

mAU

400

3

2.806
Waters Acquity H-Class LC

300

4Time (min)3.239 3.353
3.488

1.271

200
100

Figure 11. The Agilent 1290 Infinity II LC with ISET (in blue) delivers similar retention times
and chromatographic resolution as the Waters Acquity H-Class when enabling ISET (in red).

“By using ISET, the retention time and separation pattern obtained
under the analysis conditions developed by other companies' LC
will be assured. It can be reproduced, enabling technology transfer
without changing complex impurity profiles.
It is a very important function for us."– Kazuaki Kanai, PhD,
President & CEO of JITSUBO

24

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Mind behind the Science“ISET is flexible—you don’t need to do plumbing and get parts and pieces
out of a drawer to modify your instrument. If you have an overnight
run—possibly with different problems, different methods, even different
columns—there is a lot of additional work that you have to consider. It isn’t
simply a matter of automating the process, because automation doesn’t
account for someone swapping components, verifying that the pumping
is correct, checking for leaks, and so on. You could do automated valve
switching but still, you are limited to what is installed in the instrument.
If you use ISET, and use what is in the software implementation, then you
don’t worry about what is installed in the equipment. You can adapt towhatever has been the historic method development platform and then
you can execute the method on the more modern instrument. You needto have lower volumes on the smart instrument than you have beenusing on the historical equipment… that is the only limitation.”– Klaus Witt, PhD,
Senior Technology Lead, Liquid Phase R&D, Agilent Technologies, Inc.

25

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 2: One Instrument, Many Methods

Space-worthy technology
The technical demands of emulating different types of systems, including
UHPLCs from other vendors, include a very precise delivery of flow
precision and also flow and compositional accuracy. A core hardware
component in Agilent high-end pumps that delivers this excellent accuracy
and precision is the Agilent Jet Weaver, which ensures thorough mixing of
the mobile phase components without having a detrimental effect on thesystem’s dispersion characteristics.

Figure 12. The design of the Agilent Jet Weaver provides
excellent mixing efficiency within a very small volume.

mAU
100

Theophylline

80

60
Caffeine

40

20

Agilent 1260 Infinity II
Flexible Pump

0
2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

min

Figure 13. A challenge experiment for demonstrating pump performanceusing a shallow gradient (change of 2% B per minute).

26

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

RT precision at low organic percentage
RT RSD (%)
2.363

0.50

Theophylline
Caffeine

0.45
0.40
0.35
0.30
0.25
0.20
Specifications (< 0.15 %)

0.15
0.10
0.05
0
Agilent 1260 Infinity II
Quaternary Pump

non Agilent quaternary
UHPLC

Agilent 1260 Infinity II
Flexible Pump

Figure 14. Unlike traditional quaternary mixing performance, the Agilent
Jet Weaver enables a very high accuracy of mobile phase delivery, as
represented by a very low (<0.06%) %RSD for retention time precision.

Mind behind the Science“The Jet Weaver is similar to a multilayer circuit board, but we manipulate liquids
instead of electrons. The underlying technology has its origins in space travel
and, for me, as an engineer, the goal should always be to use high tech to makethe life of our customer or user as easy as possible, without confronting themwith the fact that we use a very advanced technology.”– Christian Ruf, PhD,
R&D Manager, Agilent Technologies, Inc.

27

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 2: One Instrument, Many Methods

Any Sample Format
One of the largest challenges with running multiple methods within a single
LC stack is variations in the sample format. If samples come from a variety
of sources, there is no guarantee that they will arrive in the same type ofcontainer. The Agilent InfinityLab multisamplers have an elegant solution
to this conundrum, employing a “hotel” concept to allow multiple types ofcontainers to be used within a single autosampler device. Similar to hotels
with VIP suites on the top floor and economically priced, smaller rooms
on the lower floors, every multisampler allows for a diverse mixture ofconfigurations. For example, 384 shallow well plates can coexist with 4 mLor custom containers in taller drawers within a single device.

Figure 15. Agilent 1290 Infinity II Multisampler with 2 mL
vials and a 96 well plate installed in a single drawer. Taller andshorter drawers are also available to accommodate either
larger sample containers or more samples.
28

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Learn more
Watch a video to learn more about the 1290 Infinity II Multisampler.

Mind behind the Science“I am definitely most proud of the flexibility of the multisampler... there isby far no other module in our LC portfolio which can compete with it in termsof flexibility for our users, for example the choice to do dual needle or
the multiwash, it is up to the customer and they can change between
when needed.”– Thomas Ortmann,
R&D Engineer, Agilent Technologies, Inc.

29

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 2: One Instrument, Many Methods

4+ Days of Uninterrupted Running
If 384 shallow-well plates are your most common format, 6,144 samples
can be loaded into 16 shallow drawers for unattended analysis, meaning
for a one-minute cycle time, more than four days of uninterrupted datacollection can be achieved. The Agilent 1290 Infinity II Multisampler is acore component of the Agilent 1290 Infinity II High-Throughput System.

Sample capacity to run for 4 days
1 | Friday

2 | Saturday

3 | Sunday

4 | Monday

Figure 16. Four days of uninterrupted data acquisition is possible using the maximum capacityof the Agilent InfinityLab multisamplers (assuming a 1 minute cycle time).

30

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Learn more
Download application notes from the Agilent Application Finder.

Mind behind the Science“Thinking about the multisampler, what I am most proud of is that 6,144
samples can be run unattended within the same spatial geometry as what
previously could only handle two well plates of 384 samples each. It ispurely very astonishing and is very unique in the marketplace.”– Matthias Wetzel, PhD,
Senior Engineering Director, Agilent Technologies, Inc.

31

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 2: One Instrument, Many Methods

Wide Range of Capabilities Is a Must
Hardware options (mixers, heat exchangers, detector flow cells, tubing)must be carefully considered and software features must allow for
automated switch-over as the loaded instrument parameters change
in a multi-method environment. Agilent has developed a specific instrument
for this business objective, demonstrating robust and reliable analysisof antioxidants, sweeteners, and preservatives as application examples
from a food control laboratory.9 The Agilent 1260 Infinity II Multi-Method
System has been specifically designed to give multiple users access to
HPLC and entry-level UHPLC capabilities.

Figure 17. The Max-Light cartridge flow cell is acore component in the Agilent InfinityLab diodearray detector.

“It’s a little bit of a game to get everything on your calibration curve
if you don’t have a wide dynamic range and the Agilent DAD system
has shown us that, which allows us to do a lot of different typesof samples without doing multiple dilutions."– Julie Kowalski, PhD,
Chief Scientific Officer, Trace Analytics
32

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Learn more
Download application notes from the Agilent Application Finder.

Mind behind the Science“At the time, UHPLC refraction variation in UV cells were very highand showed very bad apparent absorption effects. I did a huge numberof so-called ray-tracing simulations and after a certain time I came tothe conclusion that I cannot achieve the goals with classical approaches,
so I knew we needed a technology leap… the light guiding technology was
the technology leap we needed. It took me a long time to get this working….
in the end, we tried fused silica and with this we made it and we were
the first supplier to offer this in a robust and stable configuration.”– Beno Müller, PhD,
R&D Manager, Agilent Technologies, Inc

33

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 2: One Instrument, Many Methods

Dreams Come True in Method Screening
Another startling bottleneck in the modern laboratory is the definitionof highly sensitive, specific, and precise LC methods for newly emerging
contaminants, new polymers or new chemical/biological entities. As thefundamentals of chromatography theory dictate that column and mobile
phase composition have the largest effect on chromatographic resolution,quickly and effectively evaluating the many possible combinations ofcolumns and mobile phases is of paramount importance. This is theultimate implementation of an instrument that is capable of running
different methods; the Agilent 1290 Infinity II Method Development System
can switch seamlessly between up to 5,400 separation conditions andthe Agilent Method Scouting Wizard manages the creation of screening
campaigns by automatically including necessary steps for equilibration,
flushing and transition.

Learn more
Download application notes from the Agilent Application Finder.

34

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

1290 Infinity II Advanced Setup

ColumnCapacity

Eight columns per MCT, clustering of up to four MCT

External
Solvent
Selection
ValvesA

B

CD

Two solvent selection valves (26 mobile phases)> 5400 chromatographic conditions+∆T

Temperature
Zones

Up to eight temperature zones in four MCT
Figure 18. Up to 5,400 screening options are possible with the Agilent 1290
Infinity II Method Development System.
35

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 3

Reaping the Business Benefits of Modern LCs
Can your LCs contribute to your company’s strategic goals?

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 3: Reaping the Business Benefits of Modern LCs
Chapter 3: Reaping the Business Benefits of Modern LCs

Corporate Responsibility
Responsibility
Corporate
As shareholder
shareholderand
andpublic
publicscrutiny
scrutinyintensifies
intensifiesabout
about
firms’
profitabilityAsfirms’
profitability
and sustainability
sustainabilityachievements,
achievements,lablabmanagers
managers
willincreasingly
need
and
will
increasingly
needto consider
considerthe
thebusinessbusinessand
andenvironmental
environmentalimpact
impacttheirpurchasing
to
ofof
their
purchasing
decisions.Quick
Quickwins
winsininreducing
reducinglaboratorylaboratorycosts
costs
includefocusing
decisions.
includefocusing
onon
a a
10
11
However,
costs
reductionof
ofenergy
energyconsumption
consumption
10 and buying in bulk.
and buying in bulk.11 However,thethecosts
reduction
associatedwith
withLC
LCexperiments
experimentsare
arenotnottrivial;
trivial;inin
additional
capitalassociatedadditional
to tothethecapitalexpenditureof
ofserialized
serializedequipment,
equipment,youyouhavehaveconsumables
consumables
costs
relatedexpenditure
costs
related
to LC
LC columns,
columns,sample
samplecontainers
containersand
andmobilemobilephase.
phase.
Eliminating
waste
toEliminating
waste
from these
theseconsumables
consumablescan
canalsoalsoassist
assistwith
withachieving
achievingsustainability
fromsustainability
11 11
goals thatthatlablabmanagers
managersare
areexpected
expectedtotomeet.
meet.
goals
Office consumption

Lab consumption

12
Figure 19. Labs consume 6-10x the electricity
and 5x the water
12
Figure 19. Labs consume 6-10x the electricity
and5x the water13
per square foot ofa normal office space.
per square foot of a normal office space.13

37

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 2

37

CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 3

Chapter 3: Reaping the Business Benefits of Modern LCs

UHPLC Pros and ConsUHPLC experiments are less expensive to conduct than traditional HPLC
experiments because they require less time, less mobile phase and lesssample to achieve often superior results; in fact, many reports seeing
improved sensitivity and resolution in run times that are 2-20 times faster.14
The cost savings of translating one or two HPLC methods was often offset
by the need to purchase dedicated UHPLCs and, in the (bio-)pharmaceuticalspace, the implications of post-approval method changes make the revisionof current methodologies unattractive. While the new ICH Q14 guidelines
should assist with the latter, the introduction of the Agilent 1290 Infinity LC
system in 2009 (a combined HPLC/UHPLC instrument) changed the returnon investment ROI calculation for adopting UHPLC approaches for new
methods.15 You can now also run HPLC and UHPLC methods in a single
flow path with the Agilent 1260 Infinity II Prime LC system.

"With the Agilent 1290 Infinity II LC system,
we save a lot of time, we can do a lot of work with it."
– Li Lin, PhD,
Director of Analysis, Bellen Chemistry Co., Ltd.

38

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Learn more
Download the 1260 Infinity II Prime LC Investment Guide.

Mind behind the Science“During the development of the 1290 Infinity LC system, I was involvedin the investigation of fundamental aspects of UHPLC such as kinetic
column performance and impact of frictional heating and dispersion.
The thorough understanding of these aspects had an impact on thedesign and configuration of the final instrument. It also led to a clear
understanding about the application-specific requirements for a highperformance system. During the development of the 1290 Infinity II LC
system we incorporated the learnings from the first version to further
improve the system.”– Monika Dittman, PhD,
Principal Scientist, Liquid Phase R&D, Agilent Technologies, Inc.

39

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 3: Reaping the Business Benefits of Modern LCs

Going Green
Acetonitrile, a common eluent component in reverse phase (RP) andhydrophilic interaction (HILIC) modes of chromatography, is expensive
and toxic.16 As a complement to UHPLC approaches, one way to reduce
acetonitrile and similar solvent consumption and disposal costs is to adopt
supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC). In addition to requiring very little
organic solvent in the mobile phases, SFC is inexpensive to deploy because
food-grade carbon dioxide can be used as the primary eluent.
The scientific benefits are also clear: SFC provides a truly orthogonal
separation and is often considered superior to normal phase separations
for chiral analyses.17

Cost of ACN overCost
time of ACN over time

$30/L
2003

$100/L
2008

$72/L
2016

$115/L2019

Figure 20. The cost to purchase high-purity acetonitrile for LC
experiments has varied over the years and experienced a supply
shortage in 2008.

40

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 3: Reaping the Business Benefits of Modern LCs

Safely Sharing Instruments
Avoiding the purchase of redundant LCs is also an area where equipment
budgets can be better utilized. Vendor-provided tools for allowing the safe
transport of LCs can help organizations share these capital assets, where
LCs can be moved from one lab to another, or perhaps to different detector
technologies, for example, moving from one type of mass spectrometerto another. The Agilent InfinityLab Flex Bench is specifically designed tofacilitate this type of flexible relocation and the superior usability with builtin storage ensures the correct tools for each instrument travel alongside.
Learn more
Watch a video to learn more about how to gain flexibility
with the InfinityLab Flex Bench family.

41

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 3: Reaping the Business Benefits of Modern LCs

Stepwise Investment
When investing in new instrumentation, many suppliers require that theentire LC stack be purchased at once. Alternatively, an individual module(for example, an autosampler or pump) can be purchased and installed at
different times. The latter approach allows purchasing funds to be spread
across multiple troublesome or aging systems. It also allows for budget tobe spent flexibly should a last-minute surplus become available. Vendors like
Agilent providing this model also offer modified installation and, when needed,
instrument qualification products, to assist with this type of deployment.

Option A
Replace all at once

Option B
Replace module-by-module

Figure 21. In addition to replacing
whole systems (option A),
stepwise upgrades (option B),
where individual modules are
replaced one-at-a-time, arepossible so that you can use yourinstrument capital budget flexibly.

42

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Mind behind the Science“One thing that was very important during the development of themultisampler was method-backwards compatibility. We had several
very excellent ideas for the flow path, but we chose the one we knew
our users would appreciate, one where they could easily run themethods that they have been historically, without disruption.”– Matthias Wetzel, PhD,
Senior Engineering Director, Agilent Technologies, Inc.

43

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 3: Reaping the Business Benefits of Modern LCs

Total Cost of Ownership
One area where there can be ugly surprises in unexpected costs is that of
unplanned maintenance. Making sure that instrument reliability is a core
aspect of new purchases ensures that money is spent in the correct year/
budget cycle and that emergency reallocation of funds is not required.
Another area where uncertainty around future costs can be eliminated isensuring a usable lifetime for newly acquired LCs. Agilent provides a unique
Value Promise: seven years of guaranteed support and a three-year best
effort service. This guarantees a residual value credit toward a replacement
model upgrade if needed within the time frame.

"At the end of the day, you're going to spend the sameamount of money. In five years, it’s your choice to spend
the money either upfront and we get three to five years of use
without any major issues or we only get two years before
there are major issues, and then you have downtime,
my time and service costs."– Julie Kowalski, PhD,
Chief Scientific Officer, Trace Analytics

44

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 3: Reaping the Business Benefits of Modern LCs

The Importance of Stackability"Stackability” isn’t just about increasing sample throughput demands.
Greater sample complexity can require more instrumentation and evennew technology adoption. Given the costs of building out new laboratory
space ($120 and $160 per square foot to build), adding detectors thathave been historically quite large could lead to a significant expense.18 The“stackability” of the Agilent InfinityLab LC/MSD iQ, Agilent InfinityLab LC/
MSD, and Agilent InfinityLab LC/MSD XT allow the possibility to expand
laboratory technical capabilities without requiring additional lab space.

Figure 20. The Agilent 1260 Infinity II Prime LC system with Agilent InfinityLab LC/MSD iQ
stacked in an Agilent InfinityLab Flex Bench keeps the overall instrument’s footprint small.

45

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

Learn more
Download brochure on the Agilent Value Promise.

Mind behind the Science“You can't just be a technical expert–in customer support, you needto understand their core issue and then merge that with your technicalexpertise. You must first bring empathy and take the customer fromthe point where they are, understand that they are in a very unpleasantsituation, and only then bring in the technical side of the discussion.
You must work together to solve the issue and I really enjoy this.”– Daniel Kühner,
Global Scheduling Service Systems Architect, Agilent Technologies, Inc.

46

TABLE OF CHAPTERCONTENTS1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

References

1

Workmann, Jr., J., Salary Survey: Some Slight Gains and the Gender Gap Narrows. http://www.chromatographyonline.com/2019-salarysurvey-some-slight-gains-and-gender-gap-narrows-0?pageID=2 (accessed September 19, 2019).

2

Goldsmith, M., Empowering Your Employees to Empower Themselves. https://hbr.org/2010/04/empowering-your-employees-toe?referral=03759&cm_vc=rr_item_page.bottom (accessed September 19, 2019).

3

Issaq, H. J., A Century of Separation Science, CRC Press, 2001.

4

de Jonge, L.H. & Jackson, F.S., The feed analysis laboratory: Establishment and quality control. Setting up a feed analysis laboratory,
and implementing a quality assurance system compliant with ISO/IEC 17025:2005. H.P.S. Makkar, ed. Animal Production and Health
Guidelines No. 15. Rome, FAO, 2005.

5

Twardowska, I., Allen, H., Kettrup, A., & Lacy, W., Solid Waste: Assessment, Monitoring and Remediation, Pergamon, 2004.

6

Cushman & Wakefield, Life Science: Great Promise and Rapid Groth. https://cushwake.cld.bz/Life-Science-Great-Promise-RapidGrowth/16/ (accessed September 23, 2019).

7

Cappiello, A., & Palma, P., Advances in the Use of Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS): Instrumentation Developments
and Applications, Volume 79, Elsevier, 2018.

8

Byrd, J., Intelligent System Emulation Technology, eurolab magazine, 2018, pp. 24-25. https://content.yudu.com/web/15ex3/0A2nilh/EurolabJune2018/html/index.html?page=24&origin=reade (accessed September 23, 2019).

9

Schneider, S., Different Food Applications on a Single LC System Using Automated Column and Solvent Selection, Agilent Technologies
application note, publication number 5991-7622EN, 2014.

10 Steward, K., Sustainability Through Innovation. https://www.technologynetworks.com/analysis/blog/sustainability-throughinnovation-310028 (accessed September 23, 2019).
11 InterFocus Ltd., How to Cut Costs in a Laboratory. https://www.mynewlab.com/blog/how-to-cut-costs-in-a-laboratory/(accessed September 23, 2019).
12 McKinney, C., Monitoring Lab Energy Usage. https://www.rdmag.com/article/2015/06/monitoring-lab-energy-usage(accessed September 23, 2019).
13 Watch, D., Trends in Lab Design. https://www.wbdg.org/resources/trends-lab-design (accessed September 23, 2019).
14 Donglu Zhang, D.; Surapaneni, S., ADME-Enabling Technologies in Drug Design and Development, Wiley, 2012.
15 Kreiss, W., Exploring the Economics of Innovation. https://theanalyticalscientist.com/techniques-tools/exploring-the-economics-ofinnovation (accessed September 23, 2019)16 Yabré, M.; Ferey, L.; Touridomon Somé, I.; Gaudin, K., Greening Reversed-Phase Liquid Chromatography Methods Using Alternative
Solvents for Pharmaceutical Analysis. https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/23/5/1065/htm (accessed September 18, 2019)17 Harps, L. C.; Joseph, J. F., Parr, M. K., SFC for chiral separations in bioanalysis. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/
S0731708518310896 (accessed September 18, 2019)18 Scheer Partners, The Need for Lab Space: No More Room in the County? https://scheerpartners.com/the-need-for-lab-space-no-moreroom-in-the-county/ (accessed September 18, 2019)47

Agilent InfinityLab LC Solutions - Reliable, Efficient,
Always Innovating for Your Best Result
From routine analysis through cutting-edge research, the Agilent InfinityLab LC
Family provides the broadest portfolio of liquid chromatography solutions. You
can rely on InfinityLab LC instruments, columns, and supplies to deliver rugged
quality and robust analytical results. Every component is uniquely designed towork together, and to help you continuously improve your workflow.

Learn more:
www.agilent.com/chem/infinitylab
Buy online:
www.agilent.com/chem/store
U.S. and Canada
1-800-227-9770
agilent_inquiries@agilent.com
Europeinfo_agilent@agilent.com
Asia Paciﬁcinquiry_lsca@agilent.com

DE.3291666667
This information is subject to change without notice.
© Agilent Technologies, Inc. 2019
Published in the USA, December 20, 20195994-1326EN