Introducing Agilent’s Latest Innovation for Solid Phase Extraction – the Bond Elut HLB

Continuing their tradition of efficient and effective Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) products, Agilent expands its Bond Elut range with the Bond Elut HLB. Hydrophilic-Lipophilic Balanced (HLB) is a versatile reversed phase SPE sorbent manufactured with monodisperse divinylbenzene and N-vinylpyrrolidone copolymer based on a specific ratio. The hydrophobic divinylbenzene head retains hydrophobic targets effectively, while the hydrophilic N-vinylpyrrolidone head efficiently retains polar targets - enabling optimal recovery of a broad range of target analytes.

Figure 1: Schematic of Agilent Bond Elut HLB sorbent

The Bond Elut HLB specifications are:

  • Phase – monodisperse N-vinylpyrrolidone-divinylbenzene copolymer
  • Surface area – 750 to 900 m2/g
  • Particle size – 55 to 80 μm
  • Pore size – 50 to 300 Å
  • pH range – 1 to 14 

Typical Applications for Bond Elut HLB

Bond Elut HLB SPE is used for sample clean-up and analyte concentration before HPLC or GC analysis. It is a general-purpose sorbent and can be used to extract a wide range of compounds including polar, intermediate polar, and non-polar compounds, as well as acidic, neutral, and basic compounds. This versatility makes it ideal for sample testing applications, including in the environmental, food, and pharmaceutical sectors. It can be especially useful for extracting analytes from difficult matrixes such as blood and urine.

Getting Started using Bond Elut HLB

Bond Elut HLB sorbent operates under traditional reversed phase SPE methods, encompassing conditioning, loading, washing, and elution steps. For new methods, it is recommended to follow the generic protocol shown in figure 2 as a starting point. If replacing with a competitor HLB product the same method can be used allowing easy and direct method transfer.

Figure 2: Generic protocol on Bond Elut HLB

Expert Tips for Optimal Results

Method development should be straightforward using Bond Elut HLB but there are some simple tips to follow for optimal results. First, the loading step should ideally be in 100% aqueous solution especially for highly polar target analytes. The pH can be adjusted to keep target analytes neutral for better recoveries. For acids adjust to a pH 2 units below the pKa, and for bases adjust to a pH 2 units above the pKa.

Secondly, the wash step of 5% methanol in water should be sufficient, but water only may be required for very polar analytes. Finally, for the elution step, it is recommended to split the elution volume into multiple aliquots. Typically, methanol can be used as the elution solvent but for more hydrophobic analytes a 1:1 mix of methanol and acetonitrile, or 100% acetonitrile can be used.

With the Bond Elut HLB, Agilent once again raises the bar in sample preparation. Its versatility and reliability make it first choice for a broad range of compound applications.  Contact us for more information, free samples, or technical advice on how to introduce the Agilent Bond Elut HLB into your lab.