Introduction to Flash Column

As a simple and fast absorption chromatography technique for the routine purification of organic compounds, flash chromatography is developed for the daily purification of reaction products in the lab. Which is low cost and achieves separations of samples (0.01-10.0 g weight) in a short time.

Flash chromatography is basically a compound of medium pressure and short column chromatography driven by air pressure.

Flash chromatographic column, also called rapid chromatographic column(rapid column crossing, which means gradient elution, decompression, or pressurization of the column), medium pressure chromatographic column(for example, rapid elution is achieved by pressurizing with nitrogen and passing the column with a suitable expanding agent), is the basic tool for separation and purification in the laboratory.

A flash column is used for separation in sample preparation. The Flash column is a fast separation column that is used with a certain instrument.

The working principle of the flash column

Flash evaporation is a process in which saturated water at high pressure enters a relatively low-pressure vessel and becomes part of the saturated water vapor and saturated water at the pressure of the vessel due to a sudden drop in pressure. In the chemical production process, the flash column can realize the rough gas-liquid separation of materials. The flash column can be roughly separated before entering the atmospheric furnace, which can reduce the load of the atmospheric furnace.

Flash column adopts the separation principle of liquid chromatography separation for selective adsorption and selective elution. The frequently used method is to pass the liquid sample solution through the adsorbent, retain the substance to be tested, and use the appropriate strength solvent to wash away the impurities. Then quickly elute the test substance with a small amount of solvent, thereby achieving the purpose of rapid separation, purification, and concentration.

It is also possible to selectively adsorb the interfering impurities and let the measured substance flow out, or simultaneously adsorb the impurities and the tested substance, and then selectively elute the test substance with a suitable solvent.

Features of Flash Column

Compared with the traditional liquid-liquid extraction method, FLASH can improve the recovery rate of the analyte, separate the analyte from the interference component more effectively and reduce the sample pre-treatment process. It is easy to operate, time-saving and labor-saving. The filler particles range from 10 to 60 um and the shape of the particle has no specific requirement.

1. Excellent chromatographic peak shape
The flash column uses a new type of bonding and end-capping technology to provide a perfect peak shape, which greatly improves the resolution and quantification of acid, base, and neutral compounds at low and medium pH conditions. The accuracy of the analysis.

2. Excellent low pH stability
Compared to other brands of silica gel columns, the stability of flash columns at low pH results in longer column life.

3. Outstanding efficiency
So far, advanced ultra-pure silica fillers, combined with new bonding and end-capping technology, ensure high efficiency in flash columns and higher sensitivity.

4. Batch reproducibility is good
Flash columns achieve industry-leading column-to-column and batch-to-batch reproducibility.

5. Excellent mass spectrometry compatibility
The flash column is compatible with mass spectrometry and has sharp peak shapes, excellent selectivity, higher peak capacity, and lower loss of bonded phase. In addition, the resolution and low back pressure characteristics of the flash column save the cost and time of the analysis.

Applications of Flash Column

Flash technology, developed in 1978 to purify organic compounds, is a fast and inexpensive technology compared to conventional column chromatography.

Now, Flash separation and purification technology are widely used in drug research and development, sample purification, natural product purification, and other applications. Flash is one of the chromatographic separation and purification tools that cannot be replaced by the current preparative HPLC due to its low cost, simple and fast features.

The process is described as follows:

1. choose a solvent that is chosen which gives the best separation.
2. select a flash column of the appropriate diameter which is machine-packed with high-quality silica gel, propylamine group of silica gel, NH2, or other packs.
3. fill the flash column with the solvent.
4. use pressure to push all the air from the silica gel rapidly
5. apply the sample, refill the flash column with solvent, and elute the sample.

The elution speed of the flash column can be controlled in four ways: one is to extend the filled column of elution fluid. The other is to control the tap. The third is to increase the pressure, such as by argon, nitrogen, air, and other compressed air. The fourth is to increase the power so as to speed up the flow rate of the mobile phase through the pump.

Generally, it takes so fast (5-10 min) time of eluting the components from the flash column. Small fractions are typically collected early in the elution while the larger ones are collected at the end of the chromatography.

Hawach Flash Columns

As an efficient and easy way to separate complex mixtures of compounds, chromatography provides increased resolution and the effective separation of complex peptide mixtures as well. Hawach flash columns adopt ultra-pure and high-quality boned silica with multiple sorbents. They also have a wide range of sizes for different applications.

With reliable, consistent performance from automated precision packing, our flash columns have high flow rates for fast purification of target compounds. The sizes of the different columns are available for purifying milligrams to several grams.

Fitting Luer lock end, Hawach products of the flash column are all made of medical grade PP cartridge which offers high compatibility, safety, and flexibility with free leakage, and medical PE grade frit which prevents media from leaking and allow mobile phase passes through.

With C18 flash columns, Silica Flash Columns, and other bonded ones, multiple pore sizes and particle sizes are available for your application, and easy connection to other instrument systems, and manual setups, such as Biotage, Grace, Armen, Moritex, etc.

Classification of the Hawach Flash column

Hawach’s flash column has three main series as follows:
StarFlash Series: This series only has silica gel columns. It can be divided into two categories: standard and advanced. The high-grade silica gel flash column has higher purity and better quality.

Flash Series: This series corresponds to silica gel construction and phase column, C18 (spherical import and irregular homemade), C4, C8, NH2, CN, HILIC, alumina, etc. They have all imported fillers, corresponding to the high-end market.

DepuFlash Series: This series corresponds to silica gel construction and phase columns, C18 (spherical and irregular), C8, NH2, CN, Phenyl, SAX, SCX, and Diol. They are all domestic fillers, corresponding to the low-end market.

Hawach Flash Columns have three series as follows.

Essential Technical Parameters