EVOLUTE EXPRESS User Guide (Load-Wash-Elute SPE)

Importance of the Topic

Solid phase extraction is a critical step in analytical workflows for bioanalysis, food safety and environmental testing. The Evolute Express family introduces water-wettable, pH-resistant polymeric sorbents that eliminate phase collapse and streamline sample preparation. By integrating optimized pore size and mixed hydrophobic/ionic chemistries, these materials deliver cleaner extracts and reduce matrix effects during LC-MS/MS analysis.

Objectives and Overview

This guide presents the design, chemistries and workflows of the Evolute Express SPE products. It aims to simplify method development and routine processing by offering a unified load-wash-elute protocol without traditional conditioning or equilibration. Five sorbent types cover acidic, basic and neutral analytes. A range of formats from 96-well plates to tabless columns supports both manual and automated high throughput operations.

Methodology and Instrumentation

The core procedure follows three rapid steps: adjust sample pH two units from analyte pKa, load onto the sorbent, apply targeted washes to remove proteins and phospholipids, then elute analytes by disrupting non-polar or ionic interactions. Formats include bed masses from 10 to 500 mg. Recommended flow rates of 1–7 mL/min can be achieved under gravity or using positive pressure or vacuum manifolds.

Used Instrumentation

• Extrahera automated SPE workstation for 96-well and column formats
• PRESSURE+ manifolds for uniform positive pressure processing
• VacMaster manifolds with vacuum control for 10, 20 or 96 samples
• SPE Dry 96 systems for parallel solvent evaporation
• Anti Cross Talk adapters to prevent cross contamination during drying

Main Results and Discussion

The Evolute Express sorbents deliver:

• A robust polystyrene-divinylbenzene backbone with hydroxyl groups for water wettability
• Mixed-mode chemistries (ABN, CX, WCX, AX, WAX) for selective retention of acidic, basic and neutral analytes
• Optimized pore size to exclude proteins and minimize UPLC backpressure
• Interference washes that remove over 90% of phospholipids and 98% of proteins
• A three-step load-wash-elute protocol that reduces processing time by up to 30%
• Flexible formats compatible with both manual and automated systems

Benefits and Practical Applications

• Faster workflows by omitting conditioning and equilibration steps
• Cleaner extracts that reduce matrix effects and extend column lifetime
• High pH stability for pH-sensitive analytes
• Enhanced selectivity and sensitivity for trace quantification
• High throughput processing for drug development, clinical toxicology, food safety and environmental analysis

Future Trends and Potential Applications

Ongoing developments may include novel sorbent modifications for emerging analytes, integration with on-line SPE-LC-MS systems, and data driven method optimization. Miniaturized formats and further automation will support the growing demand for rapid, high-throughput screening in pharmaceutical and clinical laboratories.

Conclusion

The Evolute Express family offers a versatile SPE platform combining robust polymeric sorbents, simplified three-step protocols and flexible instrumentation. This approach yields reproducible, high-clarity extracts, reduced matrix effects and significant time savings across a wide range of analytical applications.