Calibrating the gas sensor in ExionLC AE or Shimadzu LC-40 column ovens

Calibrating the gas sensor in ExionLC AE or Shimadzu LC-40 column ovens

Avoid interruption of data acquisition caused by false leak errors. Learn to identify the issue and discover how to calibrate the gas sensor following this step-by-step video guide.

Symptoms

The column oven displays an error message indicating a leak from the LC flow, despite the tubing connections having been verified as secure and leak-free.

Possible Causes

False leak errors can occur if:

• The lab is not well ventilated.
• The drain tubing from the column oven is placed into general LC waste.
• The gas sensor needs calibration.

Major Steps

These are the major steps involved in calibrating the gas sensor:

• Preparation: Stop the LC flow, make sure the inside of the column oven is absolutely dry, and set the column oven temperature to 40°C.
• Determining the dry gas sensor: Record the value for the dry column oven.
• Determining the wet gas sensor: Use a syringe to inject pure ethanol into the column oven. Record the value for the wet column oven.
• Save calibration values and resume data acquisition.

Required Tools and Materials

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• Syringe: must be able to inject 50 or 100 µL
• Pure ethanol: use 100% ethanol, do not use aqueous solutions.