Model Mistral RC -Solvent Evaporators
Flexible programming
The Mistral has been designed to allow robots with standard gripper arms to place and remove microplates directly onto the shuttle. In comparison with previous models, the Mistral has a 10% smaller footprint, allowing better access and saving valuable bench space. The evaporation table is able to rise under the control of a stepper motor as the drying process proceeds. This can be programmed at a suitable rate for each solvent type being evaporated. In addition, gas temperature, pressure and flow rate can all be programmed individually and stored in up to thirty multistep programmes on the Mistral controller. Each programme allows the table to rise in up to five distinct ramped phases, so that a fast initial drying period can be followed by a gentler final drying phase. The new Mistral lends itself to full integration with most robotic liquid handlers, where it is usually located on the right-hand side of the deck. Control commands are sent directly from the robot controller. These standard commands are listed in the manual, but most robot manufacturers have drivers available to control the Mistral, making integration a seamless process.
Solvent compatibility
With a choice of 96 straight or 96 spiral needles, plus 24, 48 and 384 straight needles, the sphere of application for With a choice of 96 straight or 96 spiral needles, plus 24,
48 and 384 straight needles, the sphere of application for Mistral is huge. Most common chromatography solvents can be evaporated with ease, such as dichloromethane, methanol, acetonitrile and hexane. The nitrogen blow-down method is not, however, suitable for high-boiling point solvents such as DMF, DMSO and water. It is also unable to be used with acids or acid chlorides, as special corrosion-resistant systems are needed for this work. The choice of straight or spiral needles allows the user to choose between faster dry down (spiral) and better final drying in V-well plates (straight). The spirals cause a vortex to form in the solvent, increasing the surface area and thus speeding up the rate of evaporation.
Evaporator System Requirements
Gas flow rate: 28L/min minimum, 80L/min maximum at
6 bar pressure. Can be used with nitrogen or dry compressed air if the chemistry allows. Not suitable for use with strong acids or acid chlorides.
RC microplate evaporator
The new RC from Porvair Sciences is the latest fully robot-compatible version of our popular nitrogen blow-down evaporator, suitable for integration within the safety enclosure of several leading laboratory liquid handling robots. Designed with the demands of linear robots very much in mind, the RC comprises a fully microprocessor controlled dry down station for 24-, 96- or 384-well plates, together with clear safety side screens and a 4 inch fume hood duct adaptor.
- Designed for heat sensitive and thermally labile samples
- Nine different drying programmes can be retained in the memory
- Ability to upload and download methods
- Robotic plate stage automatically moves plates up in two drying phases
- RS232 allows remote control via PC or LH robot
- Removes most chromatography solvents in just minutes
- Can evaporate 500 μl methanol in 5 minutes
- Compact footprint allows the Mistral to fit into all standard fume cupboards
- Choice of straight, curved & 24, 96 or 384 needles
- Compatible with Tecan™, Hamilton™ and Caliper™ robotic liquid handlers