How to Choose the Right Caps and Septa for Sample Vials

Membrane Solutions’ Caps and Septa Purchasing Guide

Sample vials are integral to a plethora of laboratory processes as these secure and maintain integrity of specimens under study. Unfortunately, most users overlook the importance of selecting the right sample vials, caps, and septa for their specific applications – not realizing that these can greatly affect results. When choosing the right vials for your applications, you have to consider these three essentials: the septum, the cap, and the vial itself. Membrane Solutions has prepared this quick and easy guide to help you find the best caps and septa for sample vials, ensuring you get optimal performance and results no matter what your application is.  

Finding the Best Septa: 5 Important Factors to Consider

Choosing the right septa is critical not just in preventing sample contamination, but also in protecting your syringe needles and vials. Don’t compromise the accuracy of your results, here are five important factors to keep in mind before you make your septa purchase:

• Temperature

Some septa are made from materials that melt at high temperatures, leading to possible sample contamination. If you are working on high temperature applications, get suitable septa which are stable at your system’s required temperatures.

• Sealing property

Will you be working on multiple samples or will there be time delays in your sample analyses requiring long-term storage of samples? Answering these questions would help you identify which septa to go for based on sealing requirements of your applications. The sealing property of a septa will determine whether it can be used for multiple sampling or not, for long-term storage or not.

• Puncture resistance

Reduce possible debris in your samples and prevent contamination by getting septa that offers easy needle puncture and high puncture tolerance.

• Chemical compatibility

Depending on your specific application, choose the right septa material that is greatly compatible with the solvents you will be working with.

Membrane Solutions’ Septa Selection Guide

Membrane Solutions’ showcases a broad range of septa to meet requirements of various laboratory processes. These septa are manufactured following the highest standards to prevent needle damage and therefore extend lifespan of your supplies, meet purity requirements of your applications, secure accuracy of your results, and improve repeatability and reproducibility.

Membrane Solutions’ Caps Selection Guide

Vials can either come with a crimp, snap, or screw cap closure. Each cap type has its advantages. Determine which one fits your applications best by checking out Membrane Solutions’ available cap types suitable for a variety of instruments.

• 8-425 Screw Thread
  • Suitable for HPLC instruments from Shimadzu and Hitachi  
• 9-425 Screw Thread
  • Commonly used with Agilent instruments
• 10-425 Screw Thread:
  • Suitable for Waters autosampler
  • Comes with a wide opening, 40% larger opening prevents broken needles due to wider target area
  • Not suitable for high temperature analysis
• 11 mm Crimp Top
  • Excellent seal
  • Best for GC applications
• 11 mm Snap Top
  • Suitable for powder samples
  • Not for liquid transportation

Secure Optimal Results with Membrane Solutions’ Vial Products

Membrane Solutions offers a wide selection of versatile caps and septa compatible with different sample vial types. Our in-stock vial products improve laboratory productivity by saving you time and reducing your costs. Applications of these include, but are not limited to, sample vials, HPLC instruments, GC instruments, and LCMS instruments. Find the best-suited caps and septa for your specific application by checking our available vial products, all meeting quality standards set by governing bodies.

Browse and shop a range of MS Caps & Septa here: https://www.membrane-solutions.com/caps_septa.htm