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5. Maintenance
5.
Maintenance
5.1 General
To ensure trouble free running, users are advised to observe the follo-
precautions
wing precautions:
All liquids passing through the flow cell should be free of
suspended particles.
All liquids should be degassed to prevent air bubble formation in
the flow cell.
Never allow buffer solutions to dry out in the cell. Always rinse
the flow cell thoroughly with distilled water after use.
Handle interference filters with care. Never touch the optical
surfaces or expose them to temperatures above 60 °C.
5.2 Cleaning the
For trouble free operation of the UV-1, it is essential that the flow cell
flow cell
is free of any particulate matter and contaminant films. Ensure that
the flow cell is never allowed to dry out without having been tho-
roughly rinsed. Liquids containing dissolved salts, proteins or other
solutes will dry out, leaving contaminants on the inner optical surface
of the flow cell.
The cells may be inspected for particles by removing the cell holder
and examining the light paths with a magnifying glass.
If the cell contains trapped particles proceed as follows:
1.
Remove the cell holder from the optical unit.
2. Connect a syringe to the outlet tubing and squirt a clean solution
of ethanol in distilled water (50% v/v) through the cell in small
aliquots. Examine the cell from time to time to see when the
particles have been washed out.
3.
Rinse the cell with particle-free distilled water (about 100 ml)
and replace it in the optical unit.
4. Reconnect the cell holder to the system to be monitored.
Most non-particulate contaminants e.g. denaturated proteins, salts
etc. can be removed by flushing the cell with the appropriate solvent.
Finally, rinse the cell thoroughly with distilled water or clean solvent.
Oily deposits, which increase the tendency to trap bubbles, can be
removed by rinsing the flow cell first with a non-polar solvent
(e.g. hexane), then with a polar solvent (e.g. isopropanol) and finally
with distilled water or with detergent see procedure described on next
page.
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