Agilent 1290 Infinity II ELSD G7102A Evaporative Light Scattering Detector

Agilent 1290 Infinity II ELSD G7102A Evaporative Light Scattering Detector – Used, Sold As-Is

The Agilent 1290 Infinity II ELSD G7102A is an evaporative light scattering detector designed for liquid chromatography applications involving compounds that may be difficult or impossible to detect using conventional UV or fluorescence detection. By measuring light scattered from nonvolatile analyte particles after removal of the mobile phase, the 1290 Infinity II ELSD provides a versatile detection option for compounds without a useful UV chromophore or fluorophore.

The G7102A is well suited to HPLC and UHPLC applications involving lipids, carbohydrates, sugars, surfactants, polymers, pharmaceuticals, excipients, natural products, and other nonvolatile or semivolatile compounds. Its design combines controlled nebulization, solvent evaporation, a 405 nm laser, and dual photomultiplier tube detection with digital signal processing.

The detector supports liquid chromatography flow rates from 0.2 to 5.0 mL/min and provides programmable gas flow from 0.9 to 3.25 SLM. High-speed digital output at 10, 40, or 80 Hz supports both conventional LC and faster chromatographic separations.

This Agilent 1290 Infinity II ELSD is offered used by American Instrument Exchange and is being sold as-is with no warranty. Customers should evaluate the unit accordingly and contact AIE with any questions regarding its condition, included accessories, or suitability for their intended LC configuration before purchase.

Key Features

• Agilent 1290 Infinity II Evaporative Light Scattering Detector

• Model G7102A

• Designed for HPLC and UHPLC detection

• Detects many compounds without a useful UV chromophore

• 405 nm, 10 mW laser light source

• Dual photomultiplier tubes with digital signal processing

• 0.2–5.0 mL/min eluent flow range

• Programmable 0.9–3.25 SLM gas flow

• Controlled gas shut-off to reduce unnecessary gas consumption

• Nebulizer temperature settings from 25°C to 90°C or off

• High-speed digital output at 10, 40, or 80 Hz

• Ethernet and RS-232 communication

• Compatible with appropriate Agilent OpenLab software environments

• Can be integrated into compatible third-party chromatography data environments

• Used equipment from American Instrument Exchange

• Sold as-is

• No warranty included

Overview

Evaporative light scattering detection provides an alternative to optical absorbance techniques such as UV and diode-array detection.

A conventional UV detector requires the analyte to absorb light at an appropriate wavelength. Many important chemical compounds have weak or nonexistent UV chromophores, making direct UV detection difficult.

ELSD avoids this limitation by using a different detection principle.

The liquid chromatography eluent first enters a nebulizer, where it is converted into a fine aerosol. The mobile phase is then evaporated, leaving particles of less-volatile analytes behind. These particles pass through a laser beam and scatter light. The scattered light is measured by photomultiplier tubes and converted into a chromatographic signal.

Because detection is based on light scattering from residual analyte particles rather than their UV absorbance, ELSD can substantially expand the range of compounds detectable by an LC system.

Key Specifications

Common Applications

The Agilent 1290 Infinity II ELSD can be used for liquid chromatography applications involving analytes that do not respond strongly to conventional UV or fluorescence detectors.

Typical applications include analysis of lipids, carbohydrates, sugars, surfactants, polymers, pharmaceutical compounds, excipients, natural products, food components, synthetic compounds, and other nonvolatile or semivolatile analytes compatible with evaporative light scattering detection.

The detector can also be valuable in methods where samples contain multiple compounds with substantially different UV absorbance characteristics.

Ideal Laboratory Types

The G7102A is well suited to pharmaceutical development laboratories, biotechnology companies, analytical chemistry laboratories, university research facilities, contract research organizations, food and beverage laboratories, chemical manufacturers, polymer laboratories, natural-products laboratories, formulation-development groups, and other organizations using HPLC or UHPLC.

It may be particularly useful for laboratories that already operate Agilent Infinity-series LC equipment and need to add evaporative light scattering detection to an existing chromatographic workflow.

How Evaporative Light Scattering Detection Works

ELSD analysis can be understood as a three-stage process: nebulization, evaporation, and optical detection.

First, LC column effluent enters the nebulizer and is transformed into a fine aerosol using gas.

The aerosol then enters the evaporation region. The volatile mobile phase is removed, leaving less-volatile analyte particles behind.

Finally, the remaining particles pass through the detector's laser beam. Light scattered by those particles is measured by photomultiplier tubes and converted into the ELSD response.

This detection mechanism does not depend on the analyte having a strong UV chromophore.

Detecting Compounds with Little or No UV Absorbance

One of the primary reasons laboratories add an ELSD to an HPLC or UHPLC system is to detect compounds that are difficult to measure with UV absorbance.

A UV detector relies on the molecular structure of the analyte to absorb light at the selected wavelength. Compounds without an appropriate chromophore may generate little or no useful UV response.

An ELSD instead responds to less-volatile analyte particles remaining after the mobile phase has been evaporated.

This makes the G7102A useful as an additional detector for applications where UV detection alone does not provide adequate analytical coverage.

405 nm Laser and Dual-PMT Detection

The Agilent 1290 Infinity II ELSD uses a 405 nm, 10 mW laser as its light source.

After the mobile phase has been removed, residual analyte particles pass through the laser beam and scatter light.

The detector uses dual photomultiplier tubes combined with digital signal processing to measure this scattered light and generate the chromatographic signal.

This optical arrangement is specifically designed for evaporative light scattering detection rather than conventional absorbance measurement.

0.2 to 5.0 mL/min Eluent Flow Range

The G7102A supports LC eluent flow rates from approximately 0.2 to 5.0 mL/min.

This broad range allows the detector to be used across a variety of HPLC and UHPLC methods.

Actual operating conditions must be optimized according to column dimensions, mobile phase, solvent composition, nebulizer settings, evaporation conditions, gas flow, analyte characteristics, and the requirements of the analytical method.

Programmable Gas Flow

The 1290 Infinity II ELSD provides gas-flow control from approximately 0.9 to 3.25 standard liters per minute.

Gas plays an important role in nebulization and solvent evaporation.

Agilent also incorporates a controlled gas shut-off valve into the detector. When the system is no longer actively running, gas consumption can be reduced and ultimately shut off rather than continuing indefinitely at the normal operating flow.

This can help reduce unnecessary consumption of the detector gas supply.

Nebulizer Temperature Control

The G7102A provides nebulizer temperature settings from approximately 25°C to 90°C, with the ability to turn nebulizer heating off.

Nebulization conditions affect aerosol formation and can influence ELSD response.

The appropriate setting depends on mobile-phase composition, flow rate, analyte properties, evaporation conditions, and the specific analytical method.

ELSD methods therefore require optimization rather than simply operating every sample under the same temperature and gas settings.

Low-Temperature Evaporation Capability

A particularly useful characteristic of Agilent's ELSD design is its ability to support relatively low evaporation temperatures.

Traditional ELSD methods can require substantial heat to remove aqueous or otherwise difficult mobile phases. Excessive evaporator temperature can reduce the response of semivolatile or thermally sensitive compounds because part of the analyte may evaporate along with the mobile phase.

The 1290 Infinity II ELSD was designed to improve solvent evaporation at lower temperatures, expanding its usefulness for compounds that may be poorly suited to high-temperature ELSD conditions.

Cooled and Non-Cooled Configurations

Agilent offered the G7102A platform in cooled and non-cooled evaporator configurations.

The non-cooled evaporator operates from approximately 25°C to 120°C or can be switched off.

The cooled configuration extends the lower operating range to approximately 10°C, with an upper evaporator temperature of approximately 80°C.

The exact configuration of this individual used detector should be confirmed before purchase if subambient evaporator operation is required for the intended method.

High-Speed Data Acquisition

The 1290 Infinity II ELSD provides digital output at 10, 40, or 80 Hz with 24-bit data handling.

Fast data acquisition is valuable when chromatographic peaks become narrow, as can occur in high-efficiency and fast-LC separations.

A sufficiently high detector sampling rate helps define these narrow peaks accurately rather than recording too few data points across each chromatographic event.

This makes the G7102A suitable for integration into appropriately configured high-performance LC workflows.

HPLC and UHPLC Applications

Although the detector carries the 1290 Infinity II name, ELSD detection is not limited exclusively to one particular Agilent LC stack.

The detector's broad eluent flow range, digital communication capabilities, and chromatography-software support allow it to function within a variety of appropriately configured LC environments.

Compatibility should always be verified for the intended pumps, autosamplers, chromatography data system, communications architecture, and analytical method before purchasing a used detector.

Agilent OpenLab Compatibility

The G7102A can be controlled using compatible Agilent chromatography software and ELSD drivers.

Agilent documentation identifies support for OpenLab ChemStation and OpenLab EZChrom environments when the appropriate software versions and detector drivers are installed.

Software compatibility can depend on the operating system, CDS revision, instrument driver, firmware, and other system components.

Software licenses are not implied to be included with this used detector unless specifically stated in the sales listing.

Waters Empower Integration

The Agilent 1290 Infinity II ELSD can also be integrated into appropriately configured Waters Empower environments.

Agilent documentation describes configuration of the detector in Empower using supported Agilent Instrument Control Framework components, with communication established through LAN or RS-232.

This can make the G7102A useful to laboratories operating mixed-manufacturer chromatography environments.

Software, driver, firmware, and communication compatibility should be verified for the laboratory's specific Empower installation before purchase.

Ethernet and RS-232 Communication

The G7102A provides both Ethernet and serial RS-232 communication.

These options provide flexibility when integrating the detector with compatible chromatography workstations and data systems.

The appropriate communication method depends on the software environment and overall LC configuration.

Customers replacing an existing ELSD should verify communication requirements and driver compatibility before installing a replacement detector.

Applications in Pharmaceutical Analysis

Evaporative light scattering detection can be particularly useful in pharmaceutical development and analytical laboratories because many compounds relevant to formulation work do not provide strong UV response.

Potential applications include analysis of active compounds, formulation components, excipients, surfactants, lipids, sugars, and other substances suitable for ELSD analysis.

ELSD may be used independently or alongside other detectors to provide complementary information about a chromatographic separation.

Carbohydrate and Sugar Analysis

Many carbohydrates and sugars lack strong UV chromophores, making them challenging targets for conventional UV detection.

ELSD provides an alternative detection mechanism because response does not depend on UV absorbance.

When the compounds are sufficiently less volatile than the mobile phase and the chromatographic method is compatible with ELSD, the detector can provide useful detection for carbohydrate-related applications.

Lipid Analysis

Lipids are another important class of compounds commonly associated with evaporative light scattering detection.

Depending on the chromatography and analyte characteristics, ELSD can provide detection for lipid species that are difficult to monitor effectively with conventional UV methods.

Applications may include pharmaceutical, biotechnology, food-science, natural-products, and biochemical research.

Polymer and Surfactant Analysis

Polymers and surfactants can also present challenges for conventional optical detection.

When analytes are sufficiently nonvolatile for ELSD, the G7102A can provide an alternative means of detecting separated compounds after mobile-phase evaporation.

This can make the detector useful in chemical development, formulation, materials research, and quality-control environments.

ELSD vs. UV Detection

ELSD and UV detectors operate according to fundamentally different principles.

UV detectors measure absorption of light by compounds containing suitable chromophores. They can provide excellent sensitivity and linearity for compatible analytes but may provide weak response for compounds lacking UV-active functional groups.

ELSD does not require a UV chromophore. Instead, it detects light scattered by residual analyte particles after mobile-phase evaporation.

For some laboratories, the two technologies are complementary rather than direct substitutes.

ELSD vs. Refractive Index Detection

Refractive index detectors can also provide relatively universal detection for compounds lacking UV chromophores.

However, ELSD and refractive index detection have different operating characteristics and method requirements.

ELSD removes the mobile phase before detection and can be used with appropriately developed gradient methods. Refractive index detection is generally much more sensitive to changes in mobile-phase composition and is therefore commonly associated with isocratic methods.

The appropriate detector depends on the analytes, mobile phase, chromatographic method, sensitivity requirements, and laboratory workflow.

ELSD vs. Mass Spectrometry

ELSD and mass spectrometry can both detect compounds that may be difficult to analyze using UV detection, but they serve very different analytical needs.

Mass spectrometry can provide molecular-mass and structural information in addition to detection, while ELSD provides a comparatively straightforward chromatographic response based on light scattering.

For laboratories that need routine detection rather than compound identification or structural characterization, ELSD may provide an appropriate alternative or complementary detector.

Gas Supply Requirements

The G7102A requires an appropriate gas supply for nebulization and evaporation.

Agilent specifies an operating gas pressure of approximately 60 to 100 psi, or 4.1 to 6.9 bar, with instrument-controlled gas flow from 0.9 to 3.25 SLM.

Laboratories should confirm the appropriate gas quality, regulator, tubing, exhaust routing, and facility connections before installation.

Proper exhaust handling is also important because the detector removes and exhausts mobile-phase solvent during operation.

Safety and Monitoring Features

Agilent incorporates several protective features into the 1290 Infinity II ELSD.

These include a controlled gas shut-off valve, leak detection, and laser interlock.

The ELSD contains a laser system and should be operated with its protective covers and safety interlocks intact.

Users should follow Agilent operating instructions and established laboratory procedures when installing, servicing, or operating the detector.

Installation Considerations

Before installing a used G7102A, laboratories should verify available bench space, electrical service, gas supply, exhaust requirements, LC tubing connections, network or serial communication, software compatibility, firmware requirements, and the physical configuration of the detector.

The module measures approximately 16.3 inches high × 7.9 inches wide × 17.7 inches deep.

Agilent specifies a weight of approximately 11 kg for the non-cooled configuration and approximately 13 kg for the cooled configuration.

Used Agilent 1290 Infinity II ELSD from American Instrument Exchange

This Agilent 1290 Infinity II ELSD is being offered by American Instrument Exchange as used equipment.

Unlike AIE equipment sold as refurbished and backed by a standard warranty, this particular detector is being sold as-is.

Customers should not assume that the detector has received the same level of refurbishment, operational verification, calibration, or performance testing associated with AIE's refurbished equipment unless a specific service is separately documented.

Sold As-Is – No Warranty

This Agilent G7102A is sold as-is with no warranty.

The buyer should evaluate the equipment with this condition in mind and should confirm any questions regarding physical condition, included accessories, configuration, and known operational status with American Instrument Exchange before purchasing.

No warranty is expressed or implied as part of the sale of this unit.

Included Components and Accessories

Only components specifically identified by American Instrument Exchange as included with the individual unit should be assumed to accompany the detector.

An ELSD installation may require gas tubing and regulation, exhaust connections, solvent waste arrangements, LC capillaries or tubing, communication cables, compatible software and drivers, and other system-specific components.

Customers integrating the G7102A into an existing LC system should verify these requirements before purchase.

Related Equipment

Laboratories using the Agilent 1290 Infinity II ELSD may also require compatible HPLC or UHPLC pumps, autosamplers, column compartments, chromatography columns, solvent-management equipment, nitrogen or other specified gas supplies, computers, and chromatography data systems.

American Instrument Exchange also supplies used and refurbished HPLC systems, analytical instruments, balances, centrifuges, vacuum equipment, and other laboratory equipment for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, chemical, and research applications.

Agilent 1290 Infinity II ELSD G7102A FAQs

What is the Agilent 1290 Infinity II ELSD?

The G7102A is an evaporative light scattering detector designed for liquid chromatography analysis of suitable nonvolatile and semivolatile compounds.

What does ELSD stand for?

ELSD stands for Evaporative Light Scattering Detector.

What is an ELSD used for?

ELSD is commonly used to detect compounds that are difficult to analyze with UV or fluorescence detectors because they lack a useful chromophore or fluorophore.

How does the Agilent G7102A detect compounds?

The detector nebulizes LC effluent, evaporates the mobile phase, passes the remaining analyte particles through a laser beam, and measures the resulting scattered light.

What type of light source does it use?

The G7102A uses a 405 nm, 10 mW laser.

What type of detector does it use?

It uses dual photomultiplier tubes with digital signal processing.

What LC flow rates can the G7102A handle?

Agilent specifies an eluent flow range from approximately 0.2 to 5.0 mL/min.

What is the gas-flow range?

The specified gas-flow range is approximately 0.9 to 3.25 SLM.

What gas pressure is required?

Agilent specifies an operating pressure of approximately 60 to 100 psi, or 4.1 to 6.9 bar.

What is the nebulizer temperature range?

The nebulizer can be switched off or operated from approximately 25°C to 90°C.

Can the G7102A operate at low evaporator temperatures?

Cooled configurations can operate the evaporator down to approximately 10°C. The exact configuration of this individual unit should be confirmed if subambient operation is required.

Can ELSD detect compounds that do not absorb UV light?

Yes. This is one of the principal advantages of ELSD. Detection is based on light scattering rather than UV absorbance.

Can it be used for carbohydrates?

Yes, ELSD is commonly used for suitable carbohydrates and sugars that may lack strong UV chromophores.

Can it be used for lipids?

Yes. Lipid analysis is a common application for evaporative light scattering detection when the compounds and chromatographic method are appropriate.

Can it be used for polymers or surfactants?

Yes. Suitable nonvolatile polymers, surfactants, and related compounds may be analyzed by ELSD.

Does ELSD work with every compound?

No. The analyte generally must remain less volatile than the mobile phase under the selected ELSD conditions. Method suitability should be established for the compounds being analyzed.

Can the G7102A be used with gradient chromatography?

Yes. ELSD can be used with appropriately developed gradient LC methods.

Is the detector compatible with Agilent OpenLab?

Agilent provides ELSD drivers for compatible OpenLab environments. Exact software and driver compatibility should be verified for the laboratory's installation.

Can it be integrated with Waters Empower?

The G7102A can be integrated into appropriately configured Empower environments using supported Agilent ICF components and communication methods.

What data rates are available?

The detector provides 10, 40, or 80 Hz digital output.

Is software included with this detector?

Software should not be assumed to be included unless specifically stated by American Instrument Exchange.

Is this Agilent 1290 Infinity II ELSD refurbished?

No. This particular detector is being offered as used equipment and sold as-is.

Does this G7102A include a warranty?

No. This unit is sold as-is with no warranty.

Should buyers verify the exact configuration before purchase?

Yes. Buyers should confirm the detector configuration, condition, included accessories, software requirements, and compatibility with their existing LC system before purchase.