MXT Columns: The Perfect Solution for Portable, Process, and High-Temperature GC Analysis
- Eliminate GC column breakage at high temperatures; stable up to 450 °C.
- Flexible metal tubing allows custom coil diameters down to 2.5 inches, giving a perfect fit for even the smallest spaces.
- Exclusive Siltek treatment produces exceptional inertness and more accurate data.
Siltek-treated, stainless-steel MXT wall coated open tubular (WCOT) capillary columns are the best choice for high-temperature chromatography and other situations where the potential for column breakage is too high to rely on fused silica columns. For field instruments, process GCs, GCs with small ovens, etc., Restek MXT columns provide the strength of metal with the inertness of glass and are guaranteed to perform.
Eliminate Column Breakage in Harsh Environments
Fused silica columns are prone to breaking at high temperatures because the polyimide coating becomes brittle with extended exposure to heat (standard rating is 360 °C). In contrast, metal MXT columns do not become brittle or break and can be used with confidence under much more aggressive conditions (up to 450 °C, depending on the stationary phase). While metal surfaces can be a concern when analyzing active compounds, Restek MXT columns are Siltek treated, giving them an inertness similar to deactivated fused silica columns. The combined metal tubing and permeating Siltek treatment allow MXT columns to be coiled into extremely small diameters that are ideal for tight spaces, such as process GCs and field instruments. The standard coil diameter for most MXT columns is 4.5", but they can be custom coiled to meet your exact specifications (2.5–7" coil diameters). In addition, we also offer PLOT columns with MXT tubing.
Rugged and inert, Restek’s MXT columns are available with a wide variety of polymer phases making them suitable for a broad range of applications. For example, MXT-1HT SimDist columns and MXT-Biodiesel TG columns are widely used in the petroleum/petrochemical industry based on their reliable performance with numerous ASTM methods. Based on their ruggedness and demonstrated performance, MXT columns were also chosen as analytical columns to be carried on the Rosetta spacecraft’s Philae lander, which made history for achieving the first soft landing on a comet. In fact, a Restek MXT-1701 column was the first column ever flown in space. Learn more about space chromatography in our exclusive interview with Dr. Robert Sternberg at www.restek.com/Sternberg
Whether your analysis is being done in the field, the refinery, or the farthest reaches of the solar system, our metal MXT columns are the best choice for high-quality, reproducible data. Explore our products and resources and put the power of Restek MXT columns to work for you!
Here’s what Robert Sternberg, who was responsible for the space GC team at Laboratoire Interuniversitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques (LISA) of the University of Paris XII, said about the MXT columns used in the Rosetta mission.“I would like to mention that all the columns selected for space mission…have all been submitted successfully to space qualification tests such as vibration, radiation and thermal cycles1, which demonstrated their robustness for space application. Since the beginning, the Restek company has been more than a manufacturer providing LISA with columns. Indeed, it has been strongly collaborating and helping LISA to develop custom-made columns able to meet the requirements of such an unusual scientific goal for chromatographic columns. That is why LISA is very grateful to Restek for being this ideal partner without the help of which the study and development of chromatographic columns for space use could not have been possible.”
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MXT Columns Are Sized to Order for Your Convenience
Whether you’re using them in a process GC or a benchtop GC, Restek MXT columns will be a perfect fit. Our MXT columns come in the standard configurations given on each product web page. However, they can also be ordered in a variety of other configurations.
To order an MXT column in one of the following configurations, use the appropriate suffix from the table below. For example, use catalog number 71811-274 to order an MXT-1 column wound to 2.0" ID without cage. When ordering via www.restek.com, enter the base catalog number in your cart and then add the suffix under Special Instructions. Don’t see what you need? Contact Customer Service today!
Please note that MXT PLOT columns are only available in the standard 7"-diameter, 11-pin cage configuration and the “-273” configuration.
All OD's provided are estimates and can vary based on the tubing ID and column length.
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Catalog Number Suffix |
MXT Coiling Description |
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-274 |
2.0" ID without cage |
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-2740 |
2.0" ID banded with copper wire |
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-273 |
2.75" ID/3.5" OD without cage (fits SRI GCs) |
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-2730 |
2.75" ID/3.5" OD banded with copper wire (fits SRI GCs) |
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-2731 |
2.75" ID/3.5" OD without cage, 18" leads (fits SRI GCs) |
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-2732 |
2.75” ID/3.5” OD without cage, 9” leads (fits SRI GCs) |
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-283 |
3.5" ID/4.0" OD without cage |
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-2830 |
3.5" ID/4.0" OD banded with copper wire |
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-2831 |
3.5” ID/4.0” OD without cage, 18” leads (fits SRI GCs) |
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-272 |
4.5" ID/5.0" OD without cage |
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-2720 |
4.5" ID/5.0" OD banded with copper wire |
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-6850M |
5.0" ID/5.25" OD banded with copper wire |
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-271 |
6.0" ID/6.5" OD without cage |
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-2710 |
6.0" ID/6.5" OD banded with copper wire |
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-276 |
6.0" ID/6.25" OD without cage |
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-2760 |
6.0" ID/6.25" OD banded with copper wire |
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-277 |
7.0" ID/7.25" OD without cage |
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-2770 |
7.0" ID/7.25" OD banded with copper wire |
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-LUC18 |
0.18 mm ID MXT Column in Lucidity Column Cartridge (fits Lucidity miniGCs)* |
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-LUC25 |
0.25 mm ID MXT Column in Lucidity Column Cartridge (fits Lucidity miniGCs)* |
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-LUC53 |
0.53 mm ID MXT Column in Lucidity Column Cartridge (fits Lucidity miniGCs)* |
All MXT leads are 36" unless otherwise noted.
*MXT columns for Lucidity miniGCs must be ≤30 m long. Each column comes factory connected in a column cartridge (additional cost will be applied).
If you don't see what you need, email Customer Service for a custom coiled column.
Connect MXT Columns with ConfidenceJust like our MXT columns, rugged MXT low dead volume connectors are Siltek treated to make them inert to active compounds. They can be used at temperatures up to 430 °C without degrading the deactivated layer, and their low thermal mass tracks rapid oven temperature programming. Kits are available for 0.28 mm, 0.32 mm, and 0.53 mm ID columns in a standard configuration for column-to-column connections and a "Y" configuration for connecting two columns to one inlet or one column to two detectors. Rugged, inert MXT low dead volume connectors let you install MXT columns, guard columns, and transfer lines with confidence, ensuring an inert flow path that preserves analyte integrity. |
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