New SPE Cation Exchange Technology from Varian Simplifies Extraction of Basic Compounds

Varian, Inc. has announced the release of Bond Elut Plexa™ PCX, a new addition to the Plexa family. Bond Elut Plexa and Plexa PCX comprise an advanced generation of polymers for solid phase extraction (SPE).

SPE is used by analytical chemists to concentrate and clean up compounds of interest from their surrounding sample matrices for analysis by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS).

Plexa and Plexa PCX are high performance polymers using formats and methods for high throughput automation and simple method development. Bond Elut Plexa is a general purpose choice for a wide range of acid, basic and neutral analytes.

Plexa PCX is designed specifically to provide a single, simple extraction method for basic compounds. Both are ideal for applications in pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, forensics, toxicology, food safety and environmental investigation.

Plexa PCX uses a polymer cation exchange mechanism that combines the properties of Bond Elut Plexa with strong cation exchange capability. This advanced SPE sorbent removes neutral and acidic interferences from the sample matrix and concentrates basic analytes, resulting in improved sensitivity, quantification and analytical performance.

According to Varian, the Plexa range of SPE products are designed to deliver faster flow rates because the particles have much smaller spaces between them with no fines to cause blockages. Results are more reproducible because the polymer particles are more regular and uniform.

With Plexa PCX, a simplified, method for basic compounds is possible. In addition, the Plexa range reduces ion suppression because of the polymer design -- the particle exterior excludes proteins and avoids strong binding of phospholipids, and so efficient removal of phospholipids from biological samples is ensured.