Faced with Global Acetonitrile Shortage, Analytical Labs Turn to ACQUITY UPLC to Reduce Acetonitrile Use by at least 70 Percent

With the analytical industry experiencing its most severe acetonitrile shortage in history, pharmaceutical, food, environmental and chemical industries are all searching for solutions to maintain their mission critical laboratory productivity.

Waters Corporation, working with its key customers, today estimated that replacing traditional high performance LC (HPLC) with Waters® ACQUITY® UltraPerformance LC® (UPLC®) reduces acetonitrile consumption by at least 70 percent without compromising productivity and performance.

“The time for ACQUITY UPLC adoption has never been clearer,” said Rohit Khanna, Vice President of Global Marketing for the Waters Division. “Laboratory-dependent businesses and government agencies around the world are facing difficult decisions because there is simply not enough acetonitrile available to efficiently run their labs using traditional liquid chromatography technology. As these organizations evaluate their options, the innovations behind UPLC technology provide the best solution to today’s crisis and safeguarding against future risk.”

The ACQUITY UPLC System allows scientists to perform required analysis, such as quality assurance and quality control tests, using less resource than HPLC. Because the system operates with a wider velocity range, higher flow rates, and greater backpressures, UPLC uses significantly less solvent, including acetonitrile. The result is the ability to maintain or improve lab productivity and performance, with reduced costs and reduced external pressures associated with the current acetonitrile shortages.

For more information on ACQUITY UPLC, method validation, and related case studies, please visit the company website.