ISOLUTE® SLE+ Supported Liquid Extraction Plates and Columns

Importance of the Topic

Supported liquid extraction (SLE) has become a critical sample preparation technique in analytical chemistry due to its ability to deliver high analyte recoveries, minimize emulsion formation and halve processing times compared with traditional liquid–liquid extraction (LLE). The development of ISOLUTE SLE+ plates and columns addresses the growing need for robust, automatable workflows capable of high throughput and consistent performance, particularly in laboratories performing bioanalysis, pharmaceutical screening and QA/QC.

Objectives and Study Overview

This whitepaper outlines the design, mechanism and performance of ISOLUTE SLE+ supported liquid extraction plates and columns, as well as RENSA RP polymer materials for preparative separations. Key goals include:

• Comparing ISOLUTE SLE+ with conventional LLE in terms of processing time and recovery.
• Describing the underlying extraction mechanism and support materials.
• Demonstrating compatibility with automated liquid handling systems.
• Characterizing RENSA RP material properties and its application scope.

Methodology and Instrumentation

Sample preparation follows a simple load–wait–elute procedure. Aqueous biological samples are applied onto a diatomaceous earth support, allowed to disperse for five minutes, then eluted with a water-immiscible solvent. Key instrumentation and materials include:

• ISOLUTE SLE+ 96-well plates and sample volume columns (200 µL to 10 mL formats).
• RENSA RP polymer resin for preparative chromatography and batch adsorption.
• Quadra-96 liquid handling system for automated plate processing.

Main Results and Discussion

Performance comparison shows:

• Processing 96 samples in 12.5 minutes with ISOLUTE SLE+ versus 22.5 minutes by LLE.
• Consistent flow characteristics and no clogging or emulsion formation.
• Higher analyte recoveries and lower detection limits compared to LLE, owing to efficient partitioning at the support interface.

RENSA RP material delivers high surface area (400 m2/g), controlled porosity (120 Å) and stability over multiple cycles, making it suitable for small molecule and oligomer separations on preparative scales.

Benefits and Practical Applications

Advantages of ISOLUTE SLE+ and RENSA RP include:

• Reduced hands-on time and full compatibility with automated workflows.
• Elimination of centrifugation and phase separation steps.
• Flexible formats for 96-well plates or bulk columns across a range of sample volumes.
• Robustness in biological matrices, minimizing phospholipid and protein interferences.

This technology is applicable to pharmaceutical bioanalysis, food additive testing, environmental monitoring and chemical intermediates purification.

Future Trends and Potential Applications

Emerging directions include integrating SLE+ into fully robotic platforms, miniaturization for microscale assays, expansion to novel solvent systems and combining with mass spectrometry–compatible workflows. Enhanced support materials with tailored chemistries and even higher throughput formats are anticipated to meet evolving analytical demands.

Conclusion

ISOLUTE SLE+ supported liquid extraction plates and columns offer a streamlined, high-efficiency alternative to traditional LLE. By combining diatomaceous earth supports with optimized polymer materials like RENSA RP, laboratories can achieve faster turnaround, higher analyte recoveries and seamless automation across a broad range of applications.

Reference

No specific literature references were provided in the original document.