- Locate instrument in a low traffic area
- Keep the room clean and tidy
- Keep covers and panels on the instrument
- Protect pipets and pipet tips
- Keep tips in a dust-free, covered box
- Don't touch pipet tips with your hands
- Wear gloves as needed (powder free)
- Clean/calibrate pipetters regularly
Instrument Location is Important
- Low traffic area = less dust
- Clean area = less dust
- Lab air quality/circulation = more dust?
- Avoid heater/air conditioner vents
- Peptide synthesis area = contamination.
- Keep separate from AAA if possible
- Sunlight = enhanced bacterial growth.
- Use amber solvent bottles. Avoid direct
sunlight
Old Reagents/Chemicals=Problems
- Low traffic area = less dust
- Use newest lots available from supplier
- Date reagents as received in the lab
- Change chemicals every 1-2 weeks
- Use HPLC grade solvents and water
- Monitor HPLC solvents for bugs/floaters
- Avoid direct sunlight
- Filter solvents before use
- Keep solvent reservoirs covered
Metal Contamination=low Asx/Glx
- Precolumn Derivatization Problem Only
- Use volatile, salt and metal free solvents
- Dissolve hydrolysates in 0.025% EDTA
- Use clean, quality hydrolysis supports
- high quality borosilcate glass tubes
- Example=Corning 9820 Culture tubes 6x50 mm
- high quality porous glass frits
- Example=Applied Biosystems AAA slides
Sample Handling is Critical
- Avoid unnecessary opening/closing of vials
- Minimize "open time" for sample vials
- Be Organized
- Determine loading position first
- Make necessary log book entries
- Wear dust free gloves as needed
- Think clean
- Tubes/hydrolysis vessels
- Pipet tips
- Micro pipets
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