Beginning with the calculation of capacity factors for isocratic HPLC separations, over the modelling of complex gradient elution with up to 10 steps, up to the simultaneous calculation of the influence of 7 experimental parameters, it was a long but successful journey.

Since its introduction in 1986 DryLab^® became the worldwide leading product for the scientific treatment of selectivity modelling in HPLC and GC.

To keep the pool position, DryLab^® has been always further developed and adjusted to fulfill the needs of its user.

Beginning with the calculation of capacity factors for isocratic HPLC separations, over the modelling of complex gradient elution with up to 10 steps, up to the simultaneous calculation of the influence of 7 experimental parameters, it was a long but successful journey.

DryLab^® allows systematic and continuous establishment of chromatographic selectivity by changing the eluent parameter

Selectivity changes can be followed visually in the chromatograms.

By observing the critical resolution maps, the user can avoid more than 95% of those experiments, which are not the best ones. This is a strong increase in efficiency and performance in the method development laboratory, resulting in time saving for more important activities.

New developments in an overview:

1.The link between PeakMatch^® and DryLab^® has been improved. From now on all relevant data collected for the development of an HPLC method, including the systematically generated chromatograms and the DryLab^®-file, are in one single file and allow the user the calculation of best step-gradients and robustness evaluations.

2.Two new functions have been integrated into the automation-interface, to allow

a. The easy export of simulated chromatograms in the AIA/AnDI-Format and

b. The export of the critical Resolution Map

3. The DryLab^® Toolkit is able to receive column temperature values for the optimization, even if the temperature is not the modelled variable.

4. Measured peak widths are now available also for isocratic models.

Our goal is a systematic and automated generation and collection of data of all runs which describe the history of an HPLC method and link such data more closely to a DryLab^® model.

This goal has been further developed by the new developments summarized below.

1. The presentation of data from six experimental chromatograms (for DryLab^®
experimental design elution strength (tG) vs. pH; (tG) vs. ionic strength; (tG) vs. additive
concentration and (tG) vs. ternary solvent composition has been improved
showing six chromatograms with peak tables on one page.

2. A column database for the comparison of stationary-phase selectivities of more than 400 columns has been integrated into PeakMatch^®.

3. The method robustness of a separation can be calculated from 4 individual DryLab^® models

4. Robustness calculations for step gradients are now available.

5. Automated generation and collection of basic runs, renaming and data transfer into PeakMatch is now available for several popular data systems, including LCsolution^® (Shimadzu), Chromeleon^® (Dionex) and ChemStation^® (Agilent).

6. DryLab^® strongly supports the Design Space concept which becomes more and more important also for analytical and method development work. The simultaneous optimization of two parameters is now possible for any combination of elution strength (gradient time or %B) with following parameters:

a. Temperature

b. pH

c. Ternary eluent composition

d. Additive concentration,

e. Ionic strength

- To further support the Design Space concept, simultaneous optimization of three parameters showing the biggest influence on method selectivity will be possible.

Molnár-Institute presented the newest developments at the “HPLC 2009” in Dresden as a Silver Sponsor of the meeting. The institute gave a well-visited vendor seminar and a lecture in the “Quality by Design” session and presented the new versions for the evaluation of the Design Space in the exhibition part of the meeting.