Purification Systems
Waters Purification Systems are engineered to deliver high-performance, scalable purification solutions that meet the needs of both research and manufacturing environments. Designed to isolate, collect, and manage target compounds with precision and efficiency, these systems support a wide range of applications—from small molecule synthesis and natural product isolation to peptide purification and impurity profiling. Whether your goal is milligram-scale compound isolation or multi-gram production, Waters purification platforms offer the flexibility, control, and throughput to enhance your laboratory's productivity.
At the heart of Waters' purification portfolio is the AutoPurification System, a robust and fully integrated solution that combines advanced chromatography, mass detection, and data analysis technologies. The system is built to support high-throughput workflows, allowing scientists to rapidly separate and collect pure fractions using automated LC and LC-MS guidance. The platform is ideal for laboratories involved in compound synthesis, where speed, purity, and compound recovery are critical.
The AutoPurification System features scalable configurations that can be tailored to meet specific workflow needs, including options for reversed-phase, normal-phase, and chiral purification. Fraction collection can be triggered using UV detection, mass detection, or both, ensuring high selectivity and maximizing recovery of desired compounds while minimizing co-elution and sample loss. These capabilities make the system particularly well-suited for medicinal chemistry and natural product discovery, where sample complexity and compound diversity are high.
One of the key advantages of Waters Purification Systems is their ability to integrate mass-directed purification. By coupling purification LC with mass spectrometry—such as a Waters ACQUITY QDa or mass-directed system—scientists can selectively collect only those fractions containing target masses of interest. This significantly reduces the number of false positives and eliminates unnecessary collection of non-relevant fractions, resulting in faster purification workflows and higher final purity.
Waters also provides Open Access Purification solutions, allowing multiple users within a shared lab to access and operate the system via intuitive software. This promotes collaboration and increases system utilization without the need for specialized training. With support from MassLynx Software or Empower Software, users can easily create methods, track sample history, and manage data across complex purification projects. Data integrity and traceability are maintained throughout, supporting both research flexibility and regulatory readiness.
In addition to standalone systems, Waters offers purification modules that can be added to existing LC platforms, making it easy for labs to scale operations or integrate purification into broader workflows. The modular design and diverse detector compatibility (UV, MS, ELSD) ensure laboratories can evolve their purification strategies as their needs grow.
From academic research labs to pharmaceutical production environments, Waters Purification Systems deliver consistent, high-yield results with the precision and reproducibility that modern science demands. Backed by Waters' global support network, training, and application expertise, these systems help laboratories accelerate development timelines, improve sample throughput, and confidently isolate compounds for further study or formulation.
Purification Systems FAQs
What types of purification systems does Waters offer?
Waters offers a range of scalable purification systems designed to meet the needs of both research and process-scale laboratories. At the core of the portfolio is the AutoPurification System, a fully integrated, modular platform that combines high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC or UPLC), automated fraction collection, and optional mass detection for selective, high-purity compound isolation. These systems are configurable for reversed-phase, normal-phase, and chiral purification workflows, making them suitable for a variety of applications, including compound synthesis, natural product isolation, and impurity profiling. Waters also offers Open Access Purification configurations, enabling multiple users to submit and run purification jobs through intuitive software interfaces—ideal for shared lab environments.
Can Waters purification systems handle both small- and large-scale purification workflows?
Yes, Waters purification systems are designed to support a wide range of purification scales, from milligram-level compound isolation in early discovery to gram-scale preparation in development workflows. The modular design of the AutoPurification System allows users to scale their purification capacity based on column size, flow rate, and detector configuration. For small-scale purifications, micro- and analytical flow setups can be used with minimal sample and solvent consumption. For larger-scale needs, preparative columns and higher flow rates allow the system to handle bulk purifications efficiently.
What are the benefits of using purification LC-MS compared to LC-UV alone?
Incorporating mass spectrometry into purification workflows—commonly known as mass-directed purification—offers several advantages over UV detection alone. With LC-MS, fraction collection is triggered based on the detection of specific mass-to-charge (m/z) values, allowing users to selectively isolate compounds of interest with greater precision. This significantly reduces the collection of irrelevant or co-eluting impurities that may absorb UV but are not target analytes. As a result, mass-directed purification increases the purity of collected fractions, reduces false positives, and minimizes the need for reprocessing. it's especially valuable in workflows involving complex mixtures, closely related compounds, or analytes with weak or overlapping UV signals. The result is a faster, more confident purification process with higher overall efficiency and compound recovery.
