Aureus Product Manual
Liability Note: The manufacturer assumes NO liability for damage however caused in the handling & usage of the nebulizers. Use at your own risk.
Caution: Do Not Handle unless you are sure that the nebulizer is dry, or washed with clean water. Acids, particularly HF, often look like water and will wet the end of the nebulizer during usage.
Warning: This device operates on compressed gases. Appropriate care must be taken. If in doubt about correct operating procedures, call an experienced operator or call Burgener Research at +1 905 823 3535.
Please Note: Burgener Aureus nebulizers require 45 - 55 PSI to have a 1 liter per minute of Argon gas flow, so the operating pressures are in the range of 35 - 45 PSI, depending on the torch optimum flow rate.
Minimizing Pulsations: Aureus nebulizers will pulse if the pump cannot deliver constant sample flow. Change your pump tubing often, or use a surgeless pump if possible. A syringe pump or gravity feed system will also work.
DO NOT TOUCH THE TIP! The gas orifice at the tip of the nebulizer is Teflon, and is SOFT. This tip is very easily damaged and should NEVER be touched with fingers, tissues, or anything else. If the tip is accidentally touched, and the nebulizer continues to operate, then it is still functional, and its use can be safely continued.
It is recommended that the red nebulizer safety cap is kept on the nebulizer while not in use. This will protect the tip from accidental damage.
Dropping and Breakage: Burgener nebulizer bodies are strong and generally will not break. If a nebulizer is dropped such that the tip is deformed, then it will be irreparably damaged. If it continues to operate after being dropped, then it has not been affected, and it is safe to use.
Operating Instructions
Your new Burgener Aureus nebulizer is unique. It should give you a long and convenient service on most solutions. The operation and care of your nebulizer is different from most other nebulizers in several important ways.
1. Solutions and Solvents
The Aureus is made completely from High Purity PFA Teflon which can handle almost all liquids. The 250 micron ID will handle most undissolved particles without plugging.
2. Sample Introduction / Maximizing Stability
Burgener Ari Mist nebulizers do not have any suction, so they require a pump to supply the sample solution. The pump speed and the quality of the pump tubing have a large effect on the stability of the nebulizer. Try to select a pump tubing size that allows running the pump at a high speed. Pulsations occur if the pump cannot deliver constant sample flow. Change the pump tubing often: usually once a day for maximum stability and lowest %RSD.
3. Sample Capillary Tubing and Fittings
Sample lines are attached with standard chromatographic ¼-28 fittings. TIGHTEN THE SAMPLE LINE GENTRY – it can close the capillary line if over tightened. We supply .0625” OD X .010” ID PFA capillary tubing. You may use any 1/16” or 1.5mm tubing that fits. We recommend that you use .010” (250 micron) ID or smaller tubing for the sample line. This should catch any particles before they get into the nebulizer. It is much safer & easier to replace the capillary tubing than to clean the nebulizer.
4. Low Flow Operations
The Aurues can run on very low flow rates FOR SOME LIQUIDS. Water and liquids with high surface tension are more difficult than liquids with low surface tension such as Alcohol. To run below 100 microliters per minute, you may need to add 10% Alcohol to your solutions to decrease the surface tension and you probably need to run 1 l/min Argon flow. Lower Argon flow rates may not work for very low flow sample rates.
5. The Gas Line
The gas line is attached with Idex style 10/32 “Fingertight” fittings. We supply 2mm OD X 1mm ID FEP Teflon tubing. A gas line filter is NOT included in the nebulizer. Any particles from the gas line will destroy the nebulizer, so please ensure that the gas line to the nebulizer is clean of any particles. If while replacing the gas lines you detect a leak, tighten the gas fittings more.
6. Humidified Argon
It does not matter if the Argon is humidified or not.
7. Nebulizer Pressure
The Burgener Aureus nebulizer operating pressure is determined by the torch. Torches require 0.6 to 1.2 liters per minute. The pressure varies with each nebulizer, but the flow should be almost the same for an individual torch. Each nebulizer should be tested by looking for the pressure which gives optimum precision. This will generally be found to be a narrow range. An initial pressure can usually be found by observing the central channel of the plasma while aspirating a solution of 1,000 ppm Y. Adjust the pressure until the red tongue is just level with the upper turn of the work coil. This is easy to observe with a relatively new torch, but, once the torch becomes discolored, it may be difficult to see this tongue. In this case, the alternative is to begin at about 30 PSI and increase at 2 to 5 PSI intervals until the best precision is found.
8. Nebulizer Orientation - Rotate to Optimize
Some nebulizers are sensitive to orientation. The gas flows from the nebulizer at a bit of an angle, and this affects the flows in chambers, especially cyclonic chambers. Be sure to check orientation once the apparently optimum nebulizer pressure has been found to determine which gives the better results. For the orientation check, rotate the nebulizer in 45 degree increments and check for a gain in precision. Usually, rotation only has a small effect.
9. Washing Your Nebulizer - Salting
For the longest life and best performance, wash your nebulizer by simply running water as a sample for 10 minutes at the end of the day before shutting down the plasma. Any other form of washing is usually unnecessary. PFA does not wet, so salts rarely occur.
