Presentation Profile
Crossing the Cutoff: Extending LC Detection into the VUV
Main Author
Annika Dombrowski - VUV Analytics
- Garrett Hellinghausen - VUV Analytics
Abstract:
Ultraviolet (UV) absorbance detection has been a cornerstone of liquid chromatography (LC) for decades because of its simplicity, robustness, and broad applicability. However, the practical operating range of conventional UV detectors is constrained not only by the optical properties of chromatographic solvents, but also by detector designs not optimized for operation below 200 nm. The vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) region is rich in high-energy electronic transitions that produce stronger, more universal, and often more information-rich absorbance than is available at longer UV wavelengths, creating new opportunities for LC analysis if the technical barriers to accessing this spectral region can be overcome.
A novel VUV absorbance detector extends the practical spectral range of LC absorbance detection into the vacuum ultraviolet through innovations in optical, fluidic, and detector design. These engineering advances enable routine operation at substantially shorter wavelengths while maintaining chromatographic performance, sensitivity, stability, and ease of use in laboratory environments.
The analytical advantages of extending absorbance measurements into the VUV are illustrated through representative application examples. Particular emphasis is placed on compound classes that exhibit little or no response with conventional UV detection but display strong absorbance at shorter wavelengths. Chromatographic data for amino acids and carbohydrates demonstrate how access to the VUV region can improve sensitivity and expand the range of analytes amenable to direct absorbance detection without derivatization. These examples highlight how VUV detection can complement existing UV methods while enabling analyses that have historically required alternative detection strategies.
By extending absorbance measurements into a previously inaccessible spectral region, VUV detection broadens the capabilities of one of the most widely used detection techniques in liquid chromatography. Rather than replacing conventional UV detection, it extends a familiar and trusted analytical approach into a spectral region that has the potential to improve both sensitivity and chemical selectivity across a broad range of analytes.
