Smart Evaporator significantly shortens the time duration for pretreatment in photosynthesis pigment analysis!!

This time we had an opportunity to have the interview with Prof. Tomo, and he uses our Smart Evaporator for the photosynthesis pigment analysis in the photosynthesis research.
(Interviewed with: Tokyo University of Science, Faculty of Science, Tomo Laboratory, Professor Dr. Tatsuya Tomo)

BioChromato

We are appreciated to have this opportunity today. Thank you very much.

Prof. Tomo

Thank you, too.

BioChromato

First of all, for what research themes do you use the Smart Evaporator?

Prof. Tomo

Our laboratory works on research to clarify the energy transduction mechanism of photosynthesis, and we use the Smart Evaporator for pretreatment in the photosynthesis pigment analysis with HPLC.

BioChromato

How will the research of photosynthesis or light energy help our daily life?

Prof. Tomo

By applying the light, water and carbon dioxide, we work to create the useful compounds that substitute to petroleum, or the research can be applied for the weak light detection system that uses biomolecules like CCD.  To find such materials, we use algae as the main material to investigate the principal of photosynthesis.

BioChromato

I now understand the investigation of photosynthesis principal will take an important role in our future. What process exactly do you do for HPLC pretreatment?

Prof. Tomo

The dye bonding protein refined from algae samples isolated from over the world is first concentrated with centrifugal concentrator. Then the pigments are extracted with the organic solvent then again concentrated with centrifugal concentrator. The supernatant of this product is evaporated with the Smart Evaporator.

(Algae in the laboratory)>

BioChromato

Would you tell us the type of solvents you use for evaporation, also their quantity and the test conditions?

Prof. Tomo

The solvents are methanol and acetone, and the vials are 1ml or 2ml size. Since we use the biological sample, basically we do our tests under the room temperature. The apparatus is purged with nitrogen, and the evaporation does not take long.

BioChromato

Do you evaporate to the complete dry? How long does it take?

Prof. Tomo

Basically we concentrate samples to the complete dry. For example, the 500uL of solvent should be reduced to a few uL for the HPLC pretreatment, and the time duration required for this is about 20 minutes. The solvents are always mixed with water that is unintentionally delivered from algae sample, and I thank to this Smart Evaporator’s feature that it enables to evaporate aqueous solvents in a short time.

BioChromato

So in the past did you ever have any other solutions that enable the evaporation of aqueous solvents without heating?

Prof. Tomo

No. We used to try that with the rotary evaporator, and the same process took some hours since we were not able to add the heating and the water did not readily evaporate. Also most of the sample stayed on the inner surface of large flask resulting in the huge sample loss, and it was a big issue when we had to examine the tiny samples.

BioChromato

It must be a lot burden and time-consuming procedures.  So by using the Smart Evaporator, does the time required for evaporation significantly get shortened?

Prof. Tomo

Yes. With the Smart Evaporator, the process we spent for some hours now requires less than some ten minutes, and now we can implement the greater number of measurements. It is easy for you to understand that we could do only one measurement in a day, but now 6 times. More measurements we can implement, we can have better data with higher reliability.

BioChromato

We are very appreciated to have you said so. Does the apparatus operability also contribute to increase the number of measurements?

Prof. Tomo

Currently three students are using the Smart Evaporator, and I had a positive impression it was easy to explain this simple function and operability. Also the footprint of apparatus becomes less than half when compared with the past. In the past, by the operation error we had sample loss caused by bumping, but the Smart Evaporator is in principal a bumping-free instrument so we can use at ease. Our laboratory now improves the analyze efficiency, and the Smart Evaporator is an invaluable asset.

(To avoid the light affects, the Smart Evaporator C1 is covered with black clothes while in process.)

BioChromato

We are honored to hear that the evaporation speed, operability, also the footprint contribute to your laboratory work. For the last, what was your impression when you first found about the Smart Evaporator?

Prof. Tomo

I was trying to find evaporators that could concentrate water. One distributor brought me the Smart Evaporator brochure, and I realized something new. I had never seen any evaporators like this in conferences or exhibitions, so I had to try right away.

BioChromato

Thank you very much. We hope the Smart Evaporator continues to be useful for you all. We appreciate for the time you’ve arranged for us. Thank you.

Prof. Tomo

Thank you.