The Eclipse software controls the Eclipse AF4 Field Flow Fractionation (FFF) system. Coupled with ASTRA® for data collection and analysis, the Eclipse provides users with a turn-key solution for macromolecular characterization.

The Eclipse® uses either Agilent or Shimadzu chromatography components for flow delivery and sample injection. The users can stay with their HPLC software platform and run the Eclipse® with the familiar interface they already know. Agilent hardware users will work within the ChemStation software environment for complete system control and Shimadzu hardware owners use software that interfaces with LC Solutions for Eclipse system control.
The Eclipse™ software provides a control center for starting an experiment, either for a single run or for an unattended sequence of runs. Once a separation has been completed, data processing takes place in ASTRA, which is the powerful and versatile software tool for MALS data. ASTRA features many special and proprietary algorithms, including band broadening correction, copolymer and protein conjugate analysis, number density calculation, and distribution analysis, just to name a few. The result is a seamless system for high resolution separation and cutting edge detection technology.

                

The job of controlling HPLC instruments is best done by the original vendor‘s own HPLC software. Therefore, the Eclipse does not use its own controller software, but integrates into various HPLC packages. There are many benefits to this approach. Users can stay within their HPLC software platform and run the Eclipse™ with the familiar interface they already know. The complete portfolio of HPLC equipment can be integrated with all the sophisticated features and options that the HPLC manufacturer offers. Existing HPLC instruments can be integrated and local support and service from the original supplier is available. If the HPLC components require maintenance, the local service organization of the HPLC vendor takes care of this task.

Currently the Wyatt Eclipse operates with Agilent and Shimadzu HPLCs. For owners of Agilent HPLC systems, a ChemStation add-in module is installed which creates access to the Eclipse™ as an instrument in ChemStation. ChemStation data files can store AF4 specific data traces, like pressure reading, cross flow and inject flow rates etc. A similar integration exists for the LC Solutions software from Shimadzu. Additional HPLC software packages will be integrated in the near future.

Manual control of all flow modes and flow rates is controlled by easy access to software menus that permit system preparation and equilibration prior to sample runs.

The Eclipse hardware is configured using the standard ChemStation Hardware Configuration dialog interface:

Eclipse instrument settings can be viewed from within ChemStation for convenience:

AF4 separation methods are generated and stored in ChemStation through the interactive method design window that simplifies the process of fractionating a wide variety of sample applications.

Crossflow gradients are easy to program using the Crossflow assistant. Crossflow fields can be constant, linear decreasing crossflow or exponential decreasing crossflow in order to resolve complex sample compositions.

The flexibility of AF4 allows one to achieve optimal separation for most applications, but in some cases it can be difficult to find the optimal conditions for the separation run. Therefore, Wyatt Technology provides you with an indispensable tool for the method development by simulating an AF4 separation. All relevant parameters are entered by the user, and the resulting separation is immediately shown, including the effect of band broadening and dilution of the sample at the channel outlet.

The example to the right shows a simulated BSA separation comparing two experimental conditions.
The green experiment uses a 350 μm spacer, constant cross flow at 3 ml/min, and a SC (153 mm length) channel, compared to the red experiment, which uses a 490 μm spacer and a gradient cross flow from 2 to 0 ml/min in 20 minutes in the MC (114 mm length) channel. The red experiment has higher resolution, the peaks are narrower and solvent consumption is reduced.
Without the optimizer software it would have been impossible to predict the result of varying several parameters at the same time. The Eclipse optimizer provides a vital shortcut to find the best separation conditions.

Operating System

ASTRA will run on English and foreign language versions of the following operating systems:
• Microsoft Windows 7 (32- and 64-bit)
• Microsoft Windows Vista Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate Editions (32-bit and 64-bit)
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional (32-bit)

Please note that Microsoft Windows Home Editions are not supported for data collection or Security Pack mode, though it can be used for analysis of data files.
For Agilent ChemStation and Shimadzu LC Solutions software requirements, please visit these respective vendors web sites.

System Requirements

• Computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor or better.
• Display with 1280-by-768 resolution or higher.
• Support for DirectX 9 graphics with 128 MB of graphics memory.
• 1 GB of RAM (2 GB of RAM recommended)
• 1 GB of disk space.

Connections

Depending on the instruments you will be using, the following connections may be required:
• DAWN HELEOS, HELEOS 8+, or miniDAWN TREOS: one USB or Ethernet port.
• DAWN EOS or miniDAWN TriStar: one serial port.
• Optilab rEX or ViscoStar: one USB or Ethernet port.
• WyattQELS: one USB port.
• DynaPro Host Unit: contact Wyatt Technology Corporation, as the connections and hardware requirements vary by DynaPro model and features. Typically, this consists of one USB port and one serial port.