Uses of Needle wash port in HPLC system?
In High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), a needle wash port is a feature typically found in autosamplers. Its primary purpose is to clean the needle used for sample injection between injections to prevent cross-contamination and ensure accurate and reproducible results.
Here’s how the needle wash port works:
After each sample injection, residual sample may remain on the needle, potentially leading to carryover effects in subsequent injections.
The needle wash port provides a mechanism to flush the needle with a cleaning solvent or rinse solution, effectively removing any traces of the previous sample.
This cleaning process helps maintain the integrity of the analysis by preventing contamination between samples and ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the chromatographic results.
In summary, the needle wash port in HPLC instruments plays a crucial role in maintaining sample integrity and preventing cross-contamination, ultimately contributing to the accuracy and reproducibility of analytical results.