1200 Series High Performance Autosampler SL from Agilent Technologies

The Agilent 1200 Series High Performance Autosampler SL is designed to couple with the Agilent 1200 Series HPLC system for HPLC analysis. The autosampler has little problem injecting protein molecules as well as organic compounds. It can be upgraded from non-thermostatted to thermostatted version for temperature sensitive samples such as peptides and proteins, etc.

I used this autosampler to inject peptides and organic chemicals everyday (for a year) for biological assays and quality control chemical assays. On average, I injected about 80-90 samples into the Agilent 1200 Series HPLC system through the Agilent 1200 Series High Performance Autosampler. I seldom experienced any mechanical error or software error with the autosampler. The Chemstation software that interfaces with the autosampler is very user friendly. Another great function that gives this autosampler the advantage over other products is that the Chemstation software allows importing of csv files. Since csv files can be created by Excel, this feature makes labeling samples very convenient. The interface on the Chemstation can indicate the start of the injection and the current sample under injections, so the user can observe the autosampler picking up sample with its injection needle through the windows on the autosampler. Above the platform where the samples resided, there is a LED light to monitor the injection needle movement. This light comes in handy for troubleshooting should there be a problem during injection. The needles have incredible precision during sample pick-up; In one and a half years, I have never needed to calibrate the needle.

The major problem of the autosampler occurs when it is upgraded to the thermostatted version. I ran my biological and chemical assays at 4°C overnight. What I observed is that the 96 well plates were full of water condensation after the run. The condensation is caused by the design of the chiller, which is located under the plate platform. The plate platform is a metal plate with 96 holes where cold air blows through to cool down the bottom of the microtiter plate. This cooling process results in a cold microtiter plate in a warm compartment, leading to condensation on the plate. This condensation could be problematic if you have organic solutions in the microtiter plate because when the water condensation gets into the organic solvent, it can cause the column to become clogged. Therefore, I suggest that only aqueous solutions be placed in the temperature controlled platform. Another problem I experienced is that white crystals formed on the top part of the injection needle after the autosampler was used for awhile (5-6 months). I believe it is due to the vapor from the samples. Usually, the maintenance engineer will take care of it if you purchase the maintenance plan with the instrument. However, the white crystals did not affect the normal function of the autosampler.

Overall, I have had good experiences with this autosampler. It is very reliable and I have not had any issue that would affect my HPLC assays. The automation is a very nice feature for hands-off experiments and facilitates the efficiency of the HPLC system.