Thar Technologies launches its latest SFC (supercritical chromatography) package, SFC Prep 350 with 5 cm column

The newest instrument in the family of SFC products reduces time and operating costs by incorporating an automated CO2 recycling feature making it suitable for purification process development, laboratory and turn-key industrial solutions.

Supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) is a technique that is used to analyze, separate and purify drug compounds much like normal phase HPLC. SFC uses CO₂, a non-polar solvent that increases its solvating power by increasing pressure. However, SFC users typically add polar modifiers like MeOH that gives them greater flexibility while running at 4 to 5 times faster than typical HPLC flow rates.

The SFC Prep 350 is an automated, preparative Supercritical Fluid Chromatography system that features co-solvent gradient, high pressure separators for quantitative recovery of purified products, such as enantiomers (the #1 application), complex synthetic chemicals and natural products. Unlike most SFC preparative systems, the SFC Prep 350 also features an automated CO₂ recycling system making it a powerful tool for purification process development.

This latest package completes the circle for SFC users and gives Thar a completely unique position to introduce SFC further in research and development laboratories and pilot plants of the pharmaceutical and fine chemical industries. SFC is particularly suitable for the purification for practically all small molecule compounds – not only chiral, the “killer app” for SFC.

While pharmaceutical companies have been slow to adopt SFC in favor of the more traditional HPLC techniques due to it’s perception as a more versatile tool. They are facing issues with waste disposal, solvent and energy costs and chromatographic speed. All of which are addressed by SFC. Fueling recent reports that show SFC as the fastest growing chromatographic technique and will continue to be for the next 10 years because of its potential for lower solvent costs, faster chromatography, a longer lasting stationary phase, lower energy costs and minimal disposal costs. Making it a powerful, cost effective and green technology technique for the laboratory as well as the process development.

Thar’s SuperPure line of prep instruments includes the SFC Prep 70 for grams to tens of grams purifications, the SFC Prep 200 for tens to hundreds of grams, the SFC Prep 350 for hundreds of grams to 2 kilos and soon-to-be commercialized SFC Prep 1000 for multi-kilogram campaigns.