The Importance of Ultrapure Water for Nano LC-MS Applications
This work presents a proof of concept that using freshly produced ultrapure water to prepare nano LC eluent does not cause emitter clogging.
Nano-flow LC (nano LC) has emerged as an important tool in proteomics research as well as in quantitative measurement of low level biomarkers. A common problem facing users of this technique is emitter clogging. To avoid this, it is important not only to use robust nanobore columns and emitters but also to make sure that the solvents and reagents are of the highest purity. This work presents a proof of concept that using freshly produced ultrapure water to prepare nano LC eluent does not cause emitter clogging. This is demonstrated by comparing the mass chromatograms of peptides over numerous injections using the same emitter and using fresh ultrapure water in the eluent, as well as by physical examination of the used emitter under a light microscope.
