The determination of common inorganic anions in drinking water is one of the most important applications of ion chromatography (IC) worldwide. This application brief describes the fast determination of inorganic anions in drinking water samples with the Dionex ICS-5000 capillary system using the Dionex IonSwift MAX-100 column. The high pressure capability of this system facilitates higher sample throughput by simply increasing the flow rate of analysis.

Configuring a capillary IC system for trace analysis is discussed in this technical note, TN113. Tips and tricks for trace anion analysis for ion chromatography (IC) systems and capillary IC systems are discussed. Data is also shown for concentrating and direct injection of a large volume injection. This example demonstrates anion determinations by concentrating 200 uL of sample.

In technical note TN112, trace anion determinations in ultrapure water by capillary IC are discussed. Both large volume direct injection using a large loop and using a concentrator column are discussed. Additionally installation tips are discussed.

Certain carbohydrates such as mannitol, rhamnose, xylose, 3-O-methylglucose, and lactulose can be determined in urine and serum samples to evaluate disease states in animals and humans. These carbohydrates can be determined directly by HPAE-PAD, a well-established technique that eliminates the need for derivitization, in turn saving time and money. In this work, the separation and detection of the same carbohydrates of interest discussed in AN 1006 are demonstrated using a capillary Dionex CarboPac PA20 anion-exchange column on the ICS-4000 Dedicated Capillary HPIC system.

Mono- and disaccharide sugar determinations are often used in the food and beverage industry to ensure the quality of a formulated product, to maintain or select for desired sweetness, and to characterize and confirm the source of the carbohydrates (cane, beet, or corn). This application demonstrates the determinations of high concentrations of sugars in beverages using a capillary IC system. Sugars were detected by HPAE-PAD with 4-potential waveform and Au on PTFE working electrode and 0.015” thick gasket.