Bio-Rad ChromLab Software User Manual

NGC™ Chromatography Systems
and ChromLab™ Software
User Guide
Version 3.0
NGC™ Chromatography Systems and Chr
User Guide
Version 3.0
omLab™ Software
Bio-Rad Technical Support Department
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Copyright © 2014 by Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. All rights reserved.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Main NGC Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
NGC Chromatography Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Finding Out More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Chapter 2 The Workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
The Home Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
File Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Help Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
The System Control Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
The Method Editor Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
The Evaluation Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Instrument Control Touch Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Touch Screen Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Touch Screen Toolbar Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Chapter 3 System Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
System Control Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
File Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
View Menu Commands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Manual Menu Commands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Tools Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Help Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Toolbar Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Context Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
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Chromatogram View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Changing Chromatogram View Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Showing or Hiding Traces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Changing Trace Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Zooming In and Out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Changing the X-Axis Units and Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Changing the Y-Scale Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Autoscaling the UV Trace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Annotating the Chromatogram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Showing and Hiding Events, Fractions, Errors, and Annotations . . . . . . . . . 44
Fluidic Scheme Pane. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Modules. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Fluidic Scheme Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Working with Fluidic Schemes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Fluidic Scheme Mapping. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Calibrations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Calibrating a Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Calibrating Flow Rate of Pumps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Calibrating Pressure Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Verifying Plumbing with the Point-to-Plumb Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
System Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
Delay Volume Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Control Flow Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Remote Access Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
Trace Settings Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
Device Input Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Device Output Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Air Sensors Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Email Notifications Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
System Name Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
System Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86
General Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Devices Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Process Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
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Detector Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Single-Wavelength Detector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Multi-Wavelength Detector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89
Email Server Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Chapter 4 Performing a Manual Run. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Preparing the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Priming and Purging the System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Cleaning the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102
Running an Experiment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Changing Module Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Stopping a Manual Run. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Clearing Run Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Saving a Manual Run. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Saving a Manual Run on the Touch Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Viewing Run Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Chapter 5 Method Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Before You Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114
Accessing Method Editor Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Opening a Method. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Method Editor Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
File Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Edit Menu Commands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
View Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
Help Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Toolbar Commands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Phase Library Pane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120
Adding a Phase to a Method. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Method Outline Pane. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Phase Parameters Pane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Method Steps Pane. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Viewing Details of a Step in the Step Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Adding, Modifying, and Deleting Steps in the Step Table. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
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Method Settings Parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Fluidic Scheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Column Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Detector Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Unit Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
pH Valve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Fraction Collection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Buffer Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Phase Controls and Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Standard Phases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Sample Application Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Column Wash Parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Elution Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
System CIP (Clean in Place) — Storage Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145
Column Preparation/Activation Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Column Performance Test Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153
System Preparation Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Create New Phase Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Step Library Pane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Scout Parameters Pane. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Chapter 6 Creating a Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Standard Method Templates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Creating a Method from a Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .163
Creating a Method from Standard Phases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Adding Phases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Editing Methods and Phases. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Renaming Phases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Rearranging Phases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Deleting Phases. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Opening a Method. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Running a Method and Collecting Fractions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Collecting Fractions Using the BioFrac Fraction Collector . . . . . . . . . . . . .173
Collecting Fractions Using Outlet Valves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173
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Collecting Fractions in Run Queues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Collecting Fractions Using the BioFrac Fraction Collector . . . . . . . . . . . . .174
Collecting Fractions Using Outlet Valves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174
Saving a Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177
Renaming a Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Deleting a Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Scouting on Parameters within a Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
The Scouting Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181
Page 1: Choose a Scouting Parameter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Page 2: Select Method Steps to Scout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Page 3: Generate Scout Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Using the Scouting Wizard to Scout Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Using the Scouting Wizard to Scout Samples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Creating a Scouting Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Special Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Viewing a Summary of the Scouting Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Running a Scouting Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Chapter 7 Evaluating Results. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Managing Analysis Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Evaluation Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
File Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
View Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .201
Analysis Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Help Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Tab Toolbar Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Customizing the Chromatogram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Displaying Traces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Selecting the Active Trace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Showing or Hiding a Trace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Changing the Axes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205
Controlling the Range of the Y-Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Changing Trace Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Zooming In and Out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Obtaining Statistics of a Selected Region on the Chromatogram . . . . . . . . . 208
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Annotating the Chromatogram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Copying the Chromatogram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Customizing the Trace Table Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Changing Table Grouping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Sorting Table Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Ordering and Selecting Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Showing or Hiding Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Copying a Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Showing or Hiding Pre-Injection Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Manually Setting the Injection Point (x Alignment) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Managing Runs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Renaming a Single Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Deleting a Single Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Viewing Multiple Runs in Separate Tabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Comparing Traces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Viewing Multiple Runs in One Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Stacked View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Overlay View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Customizing the Trace Comparison Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Expanding or Collapsing Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Hiding All Traces in a Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Showing All Traces in a Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Offsetting Traces — Overlay Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Managing Analyses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .224
Removing Runs from a Trace Comparison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Saving a Trace Comparison Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Copying an Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Renaming an Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .225
Deleting an Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .226
Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Exporting Run Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Peak Integration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .227
Automatic Peak Integration Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Traces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Baseline Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
viii | NGC Chromatography Systems and ChromLab Software
Table of Contents
Peak Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .229
Peak Filtering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Default Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Integrate and Delete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .230
Starting Peak Integration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Displaying Peak Results — the Chromatogram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Changing Peak View Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Displaying Peak Results — the Peaks Table. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Table Display Order and Column Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Showing or Hiding Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Copying the Peaks Table. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Grouping or Ungrouping the Peaks Table. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Clearing Extinction Coefficient Values in the Peaks Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Adjusting Peaks Manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Saving Peak Integration Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Evaluating Fractions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Displaying Fraction Collection Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Displaying Fraction Collection Results — the Fractions Table . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Calculating Protein Concentration for Fractions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .245
Viewing Fraction Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .246
Pooling Fractions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Viewing Fraction Collection Results — the Heat Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Viewing Heat Map Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Column Performance Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Column Performance — Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Traces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Calculate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Analyzing Column Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Resetting the Column Performance Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Deleting Column Performance Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Column Performance — Manual Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Displaying Column Performance Results — the Chromatogram . . . . . . . . . . 255
Displaying Column Performance Results — the Column
Performance Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
User Guide | i x
Table of Contents
Chapter 8 Importing and Exporting Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Importing an NGC Method or Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Importing Unicorn Data Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Importing BioLogic DuoFlow Data Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Exporting Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Exporting Data as an NGC File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Exporting Run Data as a .csv File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Exporting Diagnostic Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .271
Chapter 9 Reports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Producing a Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Method Reports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Run Reports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Analysis Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Printing a Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Saving a Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Appendix A Database Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Back Up the NGC Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .282
Restore the NGC Database. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Appendix B Multicolumn Purifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Multicolumn Purification Method Templates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Multicolumn Sequential Purification Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Multicolumn Tandem Purification Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Performing Multicolumn Purification Chromatography. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Plumbing the NGC System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Plumbing NGC Discover Pro Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Plumbing the NGC Discover Pro System to Use
Multicolumn Purification Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .292
Priming the NGC System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
Selecting and Saving a Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Running Multicolumn Purification Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
x | NGC Chromatography Systems and ChromLab Software

1 Introduction

NGC™ chromatography systems provide a general purpose purification platform for purifying all forms of biomolecules using a combination of chromatography techniques. The systems are also useful for developing and optimizing purification protocols. The systems can provide highly purified proteins, peptides, nucleic acids, monoclonal antibodies, and other small molecules.
User Guide | 1 1
1 | Introduction
ChromLab™ software enables you to set up and control an NGC instrument, run protein separations and other operations manually, program methods to automate purification runs, evaluate the results, and generate and print experiment reports. This user guide explains how to perform all these tasks.

Main NGC Features

NGC chromatography systems enable you to do the following:
Easily create purification and maintenance protocols from predefined
method templates and protocol phases
Automate multicolumn purification processes using preprogrammed
templates and multiple column switching valves
Automate multiple sample injections using either the sample inlet valve and
the sample pump or the C-96 autosampler
Expand sample monitoring using the signal import module (SIM) to export
digital signals to and import digital signals from external detectors
Collect large-volume fractions using multiple outlet valves while also
collecting small-volume fractions using the BioFrac™ fraction collector
Automatically prepare buffers using preprogrammed buffer blending
protocols
Analyze purification results through 1-click peak integration, determine
protein concentration and calculate column performance
Automate purification protocol optimization using the scouting wizard
Easily locate fractions containing peaks of interest and view the protein
concentration within each fraction
Extend the preconfigured systems with additional valves for buffers,
samples, and columns
12 | NGC Chromatography Systems and ChromLab Software
Main NGC Features
Organize the location of the modules to optimize separation performance
based on method scale and complexity, and to minimize the system swept volume
Minimize errors when connecting tubing using the Point-to-Plumb™
feature in ChromLab software
User Guide | 1 3
1 | Introduction

NGC Chromatography Systems

All NGC chromatography systems include ChromLab software and the NGC touch screen.
NGC chromatography systems are available in several combinations. Each system is equipped with either two 10 ml system pumps (the 10 series) or two 100 ml system pumps (the 100 series).
The NGC Quest™ chromatography system includes the following:
Two system pumps
Mixer
Sample injection valve
Conductivity monitor with either a single-wavelength UV detector or a
multi-wavelength UV/Vis detector (available on the Plus systems)
14 | NGC Chromatography Systems and ChromLab Software
NGC Chromatography Systems
The NGC Scout™ chromatography system includes the following:
All modules on the Quest system
pH detector valve
Buffer blending valve
The NGC Discover™ chromatography system includes the following:
All modules on the Scout system
Column switching valve
Two buffer inlet valves
Sample pump
The NGC Discover Pro chromatography system includes the following:
All modules on the Discover system
Fourth expansion tier
Sample inlet valve
Outlet valve
User Guide | 1 5
1 | Introduction

Finding Out More

After you install NGC documentation from the NGC Chromatography Systems Documentation DVD, you can access installed NGC guides and tutorials on the Help menu in any ChromLab view.
More information about the NGC chromatography systems and ChromLab software is available fr
The NGC Chromatography Systems and ChromLab Software Installation
Guide is available on your NGC Chromatography Systems Documentation DVD as a .pdf file. This guide explains how to set up your environment, set up and install the NGC instrument in the lab, install ChromLab software, and connect ChromLab to the NGC system.
The NGC Chromatography Systems and ChromLab Software Instrument
Guide is available on your NGC Chromatography Systems Documentation DVD as a .pdf file. This illustrated guide details the modules that make up the NGC instrument and includes troubleshooting and maintenance information.
For ChromLab Help, clicking in dialog boxes accesses relevant
information. Screen-level help is also available on the Help menu.
om the following sour
ces.
NGC video tutorials are available on the NGC Chromatography Systems
Documentation DVD as .mp4 files.
Tip: You can click the Bio-Rad logo in the upper-left corner of any Chr
omLab window to launch the Bio-Rad website.
16 | NGC Chromatography Systems and ChromLab Software

2 The Workspace

ChromLab™ software provides an intuitive interface for developing chromatography methods, operating an NGC™ instrument, and analyzing data from chromatography runs.
ChromLab software presents four primary workspaces.
The Home window
The System Control window
The Method Editor window
The Evaluation window
Each workspace is shown and described in this chapter. The NGC instrument touch scr
een is also described.
User Guide | 1 7
2 | The Workspace

The Home Window

ChromLab software opens with the Home window, which displays three panes and the System Control tab.
The three panes provide quick access to the system control, method editor, and evaluation workspaces. The status of connection to the NGC instrument is also displayed. Links to recently completed runs, recently created methods, and recently accessed or analyzed runs and analyses appear listed at the bottom of the window.
Tip: Clicking the Bio-Rad logo in the upper-right corner of any ChromLab window launches the Bio-Rad website.
18 | NGC Chromatography Systems and ChromLab Software
The Home Window
Method Editor and Evaluation tabs become visible in the Home window when you select tasks in the Method Editor and Evaluation panes.
User Guide | 1 9
2 | The Workspace

File Menu Commands

Connect to System — opens a dialog box that enables you to choose an NGC
chromatography system to connect to. ChromLab detects the NGC systems available on the same subnetwork or those systems that are directly connected to the computer. Their system name, network name, and IP address appear in the table. To connect to a system, you can:
Select a name in the list of detected systems and click Connect.
Select the appropriate radio button, enter the system’s name or IP
Note: If your system does not appear in the list, click Detect. Chr
omLab searches the network for available NGC systems and
refreshes the list.
address, and click Connect.
Tip: To obtain the system’s name and IP address select System Information on the instrument touch scr
een dropdown menu.
Disconnect System — starting Chr
omLab connects you to the NGC system. This command enables you to disconnect ChromLab software from the system so you can work offline.
Manual Run — opens the System Contr
ol window in manual mode so you can
perform a manual run or set up your system manually.
Calibrate — opens the Calibration dialog box, which displays instructions and options for selecting a module and calibrating it. See Calibrations on page 64 for details.
Open Template — opens the T
emplate dialog box in which you can select a
method template from template folders organized by technique.
Open Method — opens the Method dialog box in which you can select fr your saved methods.
New Method — opens the Method Editor window in which you can cr method using standard method phases and steps.
20 | NGC Chromatography Systems and ChromLab Software
om a list of
eate a
The Home Window
Import — displays links from which you can import the following:
NGC File — opens a dialog box in which you can import a method, a
method with runs, or a run exported from ChromLab software running on another NGC system. See Importing an NGC Method or Run on page 259 for more information.
Unicorn Data — opens a dialog box in which you can import a Unicorn
data file into the NGC database. See Importing Unicorn Data Files on
page 261 for more information.
DuoFlow Data — opens a dialog box in which you can import a BioLogic
DuoFlow™ data file into the NGC database. See Importing BioLogic
DuoFlow Data Files on page 263 for more information.
Export — displays links fr
Methods/Method Runs — opens a dialog box in which you can export
om which you can export the following:
both single or multiple methods and single or multiple methods with associated runs.
Runs — opens a dialog box in which you can export single or multiple
runs.
See Exporting Data as an NGC File on page 265 for more information.
Open Run/Analysis — opens a dialog box in which you can select a run or analysis to view or analyze.
Preferences — opens dialog boxes in which you can do the following:
Select pressure units for all system and software pressure values. This is a
global setting.
Set up an SMTP server to receive email messages about system
notifications from the ChromLab computer.
Exit — closes Chr
omLab.
User Guide | 2 1
2 | The Workspace

Help Menu Commands

Help — displays screen-level help topics and links to installed manuals.
Export Diagnostic Logs — opens the Export Diagnostic Logs dialog box in which
you can export all critical information that Bio-Rad T diagnose issues. The log files and data are zipped and saved to a location that you choose. See Exporting Diagnostic Logs on page 271 for more information.
echnical Support requires to
About — displays Chr
omLab copyright and version information.
22 | NGC Chromatography Systems and ChromLab Software

The System Control Window

The System Control window enables you to run the instrument manually, monitor method runs while they are running, select fluidic schemes, calibrate pumps and detectors, and verify the accuracy of instrument plumbing. This window displays a chromatogram during a run. A fluidic scheme graphically depicts the flow path of all the modules on the system. A status panel appears above each module displaying its real-time status. In manual mode, clicking a module displays its controls and detailed settings. The Run Log documents each action that occurs during a run. The Run Queue lists all runs ready to be started.
The System Control Window
System Control functionality is detailed in Chapter 3, System Control.
User Guide | 2 3
2 | The Workspace

The Method Editor Window

The Method Editor window enables you to create, open, review, edit, and run a method. You can also open and edit a method template to create a new template. Method Editor functionality is detailed in Chapter 5, Method Editor. See also
Chapter 6, Creating a Method.
24 | NGC Chromatography Systems and ChromLab Software

The Evaluation Window

The Evaluation window enables you to view and compare run data, perform peak integration, and save run data as analyses. Evaluation functionality is detailed in
Chapter 7, Evaluating Results.
The Evaluation Window
User Guide | 2 5
2 | The Workspace

Instrument Control Touch Screen

In addition to ChromLab software running on a computer, the instrument is equipped with a touch screen that accesses system control functionality. You can use this touch screen to run, control, and monitor a run independent of ChromLab. See System Control on page 29 for more information.
Tip: When the NGC system has been inactive for two hours the LED display scr
eens on the instrument tur appears on the touch screen informing you that the system is in standby mode. You can take the system out of standby mode by touching OK in the dialog box, starting the system pumps by initiating a manual or method run, or clicking on a module in the fluidic scheme that has an LED display.
n off, the touch screen dims, and a dialog box
26 | NGC Chromatography Systems and ChromLab Software
Instrument Control Touch Screen

Touch Screen Menu Commands

Calibrate — opens the Calibration dialog box, which displays instructions and
settings for selecting a module and calibrating it. See Calibrating a Module on
page 64 for details.
Point-to-Plumb — starts the Point-to-Plumb™ featur instrument LED lights so you can visually verify or change instrument plumbing. Displays the current fluidic scheme. See Verifying Plumbing with the Point-to-Plumb
Feature on page 67 for details.
Change Fluidic Scheme — opens the Fluidic Scheme Selector dialog box in which you can edit the fluidic scheme or choose another one. See Fluidic Scheme
Configurations on page 51 for details.
Map Fluidic Scheme — opens the Fluidic Scheme Mapping dialog box in which you can map devices on your instrument to their position in the fluidic scheme. See
Fluidic Scheme Mapping on page 60 for details.
System Settings — opens the System Settings dialog box in which you can customize system settings. See System Settings on page 69 for more information about customizing your system.
System Information — opens the System Information dialog box, which lists the serial number and other general information about the NGC device as well as information about the system components, pr detectors.
Service — for Bio-Rad technical service staf
Help — displays detailed information about touch scr
ocesses, and UV and UV/Vis
f use only. Do not select this command.
e and simultaneously turns off
een menu commands.
About — displays Chr
Shut Down — shuts down the NGC system, including the connected computer
omLab version and copyright information.
User Guide | 2 7
.
2 | The Workspace

Touch Screen Toolbar Commands

Save — saves in a data file the steps executed during a manual run.
Clear — deletes manual run data fr
Autoscale — automatically scales the chr
peak height during the run. Autoscaling is enabled by default.
Reset Zoom — r
Annotate — adds a note to the chr
or after the run completes.
esets the view to show the full chromatogram.
om the touch screen display.
omatogram’s primary y-axis to the tallest
omatogram at points on the x-axis during a run
28 | NGC Chromatography Systems and ChromLab Software
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