This Information Applies To: Agilent 6400 Series triple quadrupole LC/MS systems equipped with a gate valve
Issue
Installing the Ion Transfer Capillary after cleaning or replacement in Agilent LC/MS instruments with a gate valve.
Required Items
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Caution: Ensure the source heated zones are cool before working on the instrument.
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Before installing the new ion capillary, the used ion capillary must be removed from the instrument. See Removing the Ion Transfer Capillary from Triple Quadrupole LC/MS Systems Equipped With a Gate Valve .
Steps to follow
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Caution: Handling Ion Source components or the Ion Transfer Capillary without gloves can cause contamination. Please use clean powder-free nitrile gloves during this procedure
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1. Put on clean powder-free nitrile gloves.
2. Lubricate the ion capillary entrance end with LC/MS-grade isopropanol. See Figure 1. Check the correct orientation of the capillary before inserting it into the instrument. The black band on resistive capillaries is positioned toward the front (spray chamber side) of the instrument.
Figure 1. Arrow illustrating the correct end of the resistive capillary to apply IPA.
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Caution: Putting vertical or horizontal pressure on the capillary can break it.
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3. Carefully insert the capillary straight into the desolvation assembly until it stops against the entrance of the gate valve . See Figure 2.
Figure 2. Insert the capillary straight into the desolvation assembly.
4. Slide the gate valve actuator lever lock button towards the back of the instrument with one finger. With the other hand, push down the actuator lever until it fully stops, then release the actuator lever lock button. See Figure 3.
Figure 3. Opening the gate valve using the actuation lever.
5. Fully press the capillary into the desolvation chamber.
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Caution: Do not twist or turn the capillary cap when you install it or you can damage the metal plating on the end of the capillary.
In the next step, avoid spraying any IPA directly into the ion capillary entrance. Use a small amount of IPA applied from the side to avoid spraying liquid directly into the capillary. |
6. Wet the end of the ion capillary with LC/MS-grade isopropanol, then install the capillary cap onto the end of the capillary. Then screw on the spray shield as shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4. Ion transfer Capillary insertion
10. Close the spray chamber and then bring the source back up to your method temperature and gas flow setpoints.
11. Wait a minimum of 2 hours before using the instrument for analysis to let the heated zones in the instruments fully equilibrate.
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Learn how to effectively maintain your Agilent LC/MS:
LCMS-6400-1201s - Essential Housekeeping Tasks and Best Practices for Agilent 6400 Series LC/TQ e-learning course available from Agilent education |
