Metrohm has launched a new version of the 844 UV/VIS Compact Ion
Chromatography (IC) in stainless steel complete with a column oven. The new device is especially suited as an alternative low cost and simplified way of assaying many pharmaceutical or food/beverage based products using photometric detection.
One such application is the analysis of caffeine in over the counter tablets. It can be performed isocratically simply using a phosphate/methanol mobile phase.
Analysis of tablets was relatively simple; one tablet was solved in a known quantity of ultra pure water and run against a previously run caffeine calibration curve.
The caffeine was detected on the ProntoSil C18 column in less than 6 minutes at a wavelength of 280 nm using the IC Net controlling software.