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Liquid lid for biochemical reactions in chip-based nanovials
1Department of Analytical Chemistry, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
Journal of Chromatography. B, Biomedical Sciences and Applications
|September 21, 2000
Summary
A novel liquid lid technique significantly reduces solvent evaporation from microvials. This method preserves tiny liquid volumes, even at high temperatures, enabling sensitive analyses like capillary electrophoresis.
Area of Science:
- Analytical Chemistry
- Microfluidics
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Controlling solvent evaporation is crucial for analyzing minute sample volumes.
- Existing methods for evaporation suppression have limitations, especially at elevated temperatures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a new technique for suppressing solvent evaporation from nanoliter-scale vials.
- To demonstrate the effectiveness of this technique under various temperature conditions.
- To showcase its applicability in biochemical analysis.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing nanoliter vials (15 nl) on a silicon microchip.
- Covering the vials with a thin, flowing film of a volatile liquid (e.g., octane) as a 'liquid lid'.
- Analyzing the preserved samples using capillary electrophoresis after a tryptic digest.
Main Results:
- The liquid lid method greatly reduced water evaporation from the microvials.
- At 37 degrees C, no significant water loss was observed over 90 minutes.
- Substantial water sample remained after 3 minutes at 95 degrees C.
- The technique was successfully applied to analyze peptide fragments from a tryptic digest.
Conclusions:
- The liquid lid is an effective method for suppressing solvent evaporation in microscale volumes.
- This technique enhances the stability of samples at elevated temperatures.
- It offers a promising approach for microfluidic and analytical applications, with potential for future development.