A method of liquid chromatography includes providing one or more solvent reservoirs, providing a solvent pump, drawing one or more solvents into the pump in response to a pressure drop that promotes outgassing of the solvents, and dispersing outgassed bubbles into smaller bubbles to promote re-dissolution of the gas. A liquid-chromatography apparatus includes at least two solvent reservoirs, a pump, at least one bubble-dispersing unit that receives a pressurized flow of proportioned solvents from the pump, and a control unit. The control unit includes a processor and a memory that stores instructions; the control unit controls proportioning of solvents to obtain a preselected solvent composition, and pumping at flow rates to support preparative-scale or process-scale liquid chromatography.

A method for identifying a reagent during a process in an analysis system is disclosed. The analysis system comprises a liquid chromatograph and a mass spectrometer. The method comprises providing a reagent, adding at least one chemical substance to the reagent with a concentration being above a detection level of the mass spectrometer, processing the reagent together with the chemical substance with the analysis system, and identifying the reagent based on a detection of a substance detection signal of the mass spectrometer representing the chemical substance.

A method for identifying a reagent during a process in an analysis system is disclosed. The analysis system comprises a liquid chromatograph and a mass spectrometer. The method comprises providing a reagent, adding at least one chemical substance to the reagent with a concentration being above a detection level of the mass spectrometer, processing the reagent together with the chemical substance with the analysis system, and identifying the reagent based on a detection of a substance detection signal of the mass spectrometer representing the chemical substance.

A chromatograph device which makes it possible to suppress a carry-over phenomenon. A sample injection unit for collecting a liquid sample and injecting a predetermined amount of liquid sample into a mobile phase; a sample introduction tube a distal end section of which has a needle formed therein and a terminal end section of which is connected to the sample injection unit; a separation column which is coupled via a column coupling tube to the sample injection unit, and through which the mobile phase where the liquid sample has been injected passes; and a detection unit that is connected to the separation column and detects a component in the liquid sample. The column coupling tube is provided with an ultrasonic vibrator for vibrating the tube.

A chromatograph device which makes it possible to suppress a carry-over phenomenon. A sample injection unit for collecting a liquid sample and injecting a predetermined amount of liquid sample into a mobile phase; a sample introduction tube a distal end section of which has a needle formed therein and a terminal end section of which is connected to the sample injection unit; a separation column which is coupled via a column coupling tube to the sample injection unit, and through which the mobile phase where the liquid sample has been injected passes; and a detection unit that is connected to the separation column and detects a component in the liquid sample. The column coupling tube is provided with an ultrasonic vibrator for vibrating the tube.

In an LC/MS analysis of a sample containing various compounds, additive supply pumps 164A and 164B in a post-column adding unit 16 draw and supply different kinds of additives A and B from containers 163A and 163B, respectively. The additives are mixed into an eluate through T-joints 162 and 161. A preferable combination of the additives is the combination of DMSO which produces the effect of gathering charge states and 2-propanol which produces the effect of promoting atomization or vaporization of droplets. By mixing the two additives into the eluate while mixing them at an appropriate flow-rate ratio according to a previously determined flow-rate program, the ionization efficiency can be nearly optimized for each compound during the process of generating ions by spraying electrically charged droplets of the eluate from an ESI spray 21. Consequently, the detection sensitivity becomes higher than conventional levels.

In an LC/MS analysis of a sample containing various compounds, additive supply pumps 164A and 164B in a post-column adding unit 16 draw and supply different kinds of additives A and B from containers 163A and 163B, respectively. The additives are mixed into an eluate through T-joints 162 and 161. A preferable combination of the additives is the combination of DMSO which produces the effect of gathering charge states and 2-propanol which produces the effect of promoting atomization or vaporization of droplets. By mixing the two additives into the eluate while mixing them at an appropriate flow-rate ratio according to a previously determined flow-rate program, the ionization efficiency can be nearly optimized for each compound during the process of generating ions by spraying electrically charged droplets of the eluate from an ESI spray 21. Consequently, the detection sensitivity becomes higher than conventional levels.

A column protection gas supply channel (4) is connected to a channel (17) for carrier gas present between a sample vaporization chamber (12) and an MS section (2). During a standby, a column (11) may be protected on the downstream side of a merging section (16) of the column protection gas supply channel (4) and the channel (17) for carrier gas by supplying column protection gas through the column protection gas supply channel (4). At this time, there is remaining carrier gas in the channel (17) for carrier gas on the upstream side of the merging section (16). Accordingly, when carrier gas is then supplied at a time of start of an analysis, a certain amount of carrier gas is already present inside the channel (17). Therefore, the time required to completely replace the column protection gas in the channel (17) by the carrier gas is reduced, and the standby time until the start of the analysis may be reduced.

The present disclosure relates generally to a system and a method for improving performance of a chromatography system using a highly-compressible fluid based mobile phase (e.g., CO.sub.2). In particular, the present disclosure relates to a system that uses a conduit, such as a convergent-divergent nozzle, for reducing pressure noise in a chromatography system using a highly-compressible fluid based mobile phase. The chromatography system can include a conduit, such as a convergent-divergent nozzle, disposed downstream of the column to reduce or prevent the propagation of pressure or density pulses from a back pressure regulator.

The present disclosure relates generally to a system and a method for improving performance of a chromatography system using a highly-compressible fluid based mobile phase (e.g., CO.sub.2). In particular, the present disclosure relates to a system that uses a conduit, such as a convergent-divergent nozzle, for reducing pressure noise in a chromatography system using a highly-compressible fluid based mobile phase. The chromatography system can include a conduit, such as a convergent-divergent nozzle, disposed downstream of the column to reduce or prevent the propagation of pressure or density pulses from a back pressure regulator.