I'm looking to clean a clogged ESI needle. I've heard placing it in a beaker of methanol, then placing the beaker in an ultrasonic bath for 10-15 minutes will work. Has anyone else here had success with that? Does anyone here have a cleaning method they prefer?
Dear Emily,
Usually we prefer to use wire with low diameter (100 μm, this is suitable for our ESI needle) for the cleaning process. In the last five years it gives always a good and fast solution for the clogged needle. Zither string can be used as wire or something like that. Applying the wire you do not have to take the ion source apart.
Hi,
you can clean the clogged needle in the same way you have mentioned, and another simple method to clean the clogged needle is that you remove the probe along with needle out side and connect it to LC flow, slowly increase the flow to 2-3 mL/min, every thing will be removed, and its very easy too.
Hello,
Ashish's suggestion is exactly spot on. A daily maintenance of running a (9:1) ACN:H2O at 2-5 mL/min should keep things running smoothly for the long run.
Hi!
If methanol or isopropanol ultrasonic bath does not help then putting ESI needle in pure formic acid and ultrasonic bath has helped us to clean different clogging of ESI needle from biomatrices, salts, iron complexes.
Do you immerse the needle completely into the solvent or only the tip of the needle?
We are using dilute and shoot, so very easy to get clogged. we have been washing it by taking the insert wire out and reverse it and flash. But found out it's so easy to break the insert wire. So lately trying just purging it using 2ml/min 50/50 meoh (and 100% isopropanol if high pressure). so far so good.
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