A look back at your favorite chromatography and freeze-drying posts from 2019

What better way to wrap up the year than a look back at some of the most interesting topics we covered in 2019? From chromatography theory to lyophilization time-saving tips, you were eager to learn all about how to optimize your laboratory processes. So what were the most captivating chromatography and freeze-drying posts from this year? Read on and find out.

Chromatography was certainly a favorite topic of discussion over the last 12 months. We launched a new chromatography system, we offered you trainings and a Q&A webinar and we put together valuable resources on safe chromatography practices in a pure tips booklet.

Without further ado, here are the top three posts that grabbed your attention in 2019:

1. Why you should care about column efficiency – This post was dedicated to column efficiency and understanding how this parameter affects resolution. I briefly go into theory by explaining the concept of theoretical plates. I then offer some insights on how to increase column efficiency without losing sight of other factors, such as run time.

2. Does anyone in chromatography give a load about sample overload – It turns out a lot of people do care about sample overload despite what the title of this post implies. Should you care about it? Do you know how sample loading affects the theoretical plates? What is the ideal sample load for preparative chromatography? Re-visit the post and get some answers.

3. The poster that could put Bart’s Blog out of a job – Well, I’m still out here blogging, so the poster did not put me out of a job, but it sure was a reader favorite. This poster summarizes all the know-how for anyone performing flash or prep HPLC in a simple, concise manner. I just go into more details in my posts, which luckily you seem to like as well.

 

Well, I paid my respects to chromatography, but I am glad that you have also openly accepted learning about lyophilization this year. Here are the top three freeze-drying posts that captured your interest in 2019:

1. How to effectively use organic solvents in lyophilization – The inaugural freeze-drying post was one of the posts that readers most flocked to. This post is all about the trend of freeze-drying organic solvents and how you can get in on the action. I offer tips on how to determine if a solvent can be lyophilized, advice on how to handle organic solvents during the freeze-drying process and offer a table of solvent compatibility with freeze driers like Lyovapor L-200.

2. Why pressure gradients are the main drivers in improving sublimation rates – Anyone performing freeze drying would love nothing more than to speed up the process. So it is no surprise, a post about how to use pressure gradients to optimize sublimation rates and finish your lyophilization faster grabbed your attention. In this blog post, I disperse the myth that very low pressure settings result in maximal freeze-drying speed and instead show you how setting optimal temperature and pressure gradients between sample and condenser of your freeze dryer are the way to go instead.

3. Shall we use shell freezing to speed up manifold freeze drying – I was wondering if our entire team acting as a laundry drying rack sparked your interest in this post, but I doubt it. As I mentioned, there is no one out there performing lyophilization who wouldn’t want to shave off time from the process. In this post, I discuss how shell freeze drying can help improve efficiency during manifold lyophilization. I also offer you a brief explanation on how size of the surface area affects the drying rate.

 

If you are looking for some more holiday reading and are not afraid of doing some freezing of your own this winter, then check out Freeze Drying Guide for more optimization tips. And that should be enough material to get you through the holiday season.

I will see you again in 2020 with many more exciting topics on separation and formulation! Till then, happy holidays from the entire BUCHI team.

Yours,

The Signature of Bart Denoulet at Bart's Blog