Agilent Technologies Introduces Most Powerful, Most Sensitive, Most Flexible Liquid Chromatography System Available

1290 Infinity LC Offers Best-in-Class Specifications in All HPLC, UHPLC and LC/MS Categories

WALDBRONN, Germany.- Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) today introduced the Agilent 1290 Infinity Liquid Chromatography System, designed to deliver significantly greater power, speed and sensitivity for enhanced performance in the high-end Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC) market.

“The debate about UHPLC is over,” said Patrick Kaltenbach, Agilent general manager, Liquid Chromatography Business. “We were very ambitious in setting the design criteria for this completely new system, to meet present day demands and also to serve future needs for higher throughput, sensitivity and resolution. When I listen to what our beta site customers tell us, I am very confident that we’ve succeeded.”

“The Agilent 1290 Infinity LC enables separations in seconds, faster than any instrument before,” said Daniel Zimmerli, senior technology coordinator at Hoffmann-La Roche in Basel, Switzerland.

“Limits of detection for the pharmaceutical impurities were as low as 0.001% relative to the main compound using the new diode array detector,” said Dr. Pat Sandra of the Research Institute for Chromatography in Belgium, another early access user. “This is more than one order of magnitude lower than required by U.S. FDA.”

Superior Separation Power and Flexibility

The Agilent 1290 Infinity LC delivers the industry’s largest analytical power range, enabling users to deploy any particle type, any column dimensions or any mobile and stationary phases. This range provides the highest separation power per time for sub-two-micron and other advanced particle columns. It is the first system that delivers the foundations for method transferability from and to any vendor’s UHPLC and HPLC systems.

“In other words, this system provides users with infinite capabilities to solve all analytical challenges in LC and LC/MS,” Kaltenbach observed.

New Columns Complement 1290 Infinity’s Performance

To complement the superior performance of the 1290 Infinity LC, Agilent also introduced ZORBAX Rapid Resolution High Definition (RRHD) columns. The 1.8 μm particle size delivers optimal resolution and peak definition for both simple and complex separations. New hardware design and packing processes result in rugged and reliable performance, including exceptional stability at the larger power range.

The new ZORBAX RRHD columns are available in popular ZORBAX bonded phases, providing flexibility and scalability between Agilent instruments.

Perfectly Paired with Agilent MS Systems

The Agilent 1290 Infinity LC is designed to drive even higher levels of performance from Agilent LC/MS systems. The lowest possible delay volume, exceptionally low sample carryover, integrated control and operation with Agilent’s MassHunter MS software, and the ability to perform fast, ultrahigh resolution LC separations contribute to this performance.

“This new system works exceedingly well with Agilent Jet Stream inlet technology on our high end 6460 Triple Quadrupole, 6530 Accurate Mass Quadrupole-time of flight (TOF), and 6230 TOF MS systems,” said Ken Miller, Agilent’s global marketing manager for LC/MS. “We have demonstrated improved sensitivity by reducing ion suppression and matrix effects. We have been able to identify more compounds in complex mixtures as well as reduce method times and boost throughput for screening assays. We also expect the Agilent 1290 Infinity LC to be popular with other manufacturers’ mass specs, as it is the perfect LC/MS front end.”

Powerful, Smooth New Pump

The new 1290 Infinity binary pump module reduces background noise, contributing to the system’s very high signal-to-noise ratio. Active Damping combines innovative pump engineering with embedded firmware to greatly reduce “pump ripples” and associated UV noise. Background noise is further reduced by Agilent’s proprietary Jet Weaver microfluidic mixing technology, which combines the industry’s highest gradient mixing efficiency with the lowest delay volume, also enhancing throughput.

The Highest Sensitivity

To help users take full advantage of the ultra smooth pump module, the 1290 Infinity LC also features a new UV Diode Array Detector (DAD) with at least twice the sensitivity of the nearest rival. The module contains a new Max-Light Cartridge Cell with optofluidic waveguides, providing the category’s lowest limit of detection and highest signal-to-noise ratio. In addition, baseline drift is minimized for more reliable and precise peak integration, because compromising refractive index and thermal effects are nearly eliminated. A new programmable slit lets the user optimize sensitivity, linearity and spectral resolution.

2,000 Samples per Day

The new 1290 Infinity Autosampler and Thermostatted Column Compartment modules contain a number of usability and high-throughput features, including the ability to configure the system to run more than 2,000 samples per eight-hour shift. Alternating Column Regeneration (ACR) reduces cycle time by half compared to single column configuration, and throughput can be maximized further using automatic delay volume reduction, overlapped injections, offline data analysis and external needle wash capabilities.

The autosampler is based on the next generation of Flow-Through design, providing high precision for both very small and large injection volumes without loop changes. For an injection, only the injected volume from the sample is needed, since no valuable sample is wasted for flushing purposes. Inert materials in metering device seal and needle seat combine with reduced hydraulic volume to contribute to very low carryover. Additionally, in combination with the 1290 Infinity Flexible Cube module, the needle seat can be automatically backflushed for lowest carry over. This Flexible Cube also provides an option for ultrafast cycle times in the fixed loop injection mode, offering infinite choices for sample injection.

The system can also be configured for walk-up multimethod operation and automated method development with a choice of eight columns and 26 solvents.

The Agilent 1200 Series LC portfolio lets customers tailor the exact systems they need, from the simplest manual isocratic LC through the world’s highest-performance, fastest, most sensitive UHPLC systems.