Save Time by Accelerating Solvent Evaporation

Labs inefficiently evaporating excess hexane, chloroform, acetonitrile or methanol can potentially save more than 8 hours per week by utilizing an Organomation evaporator.

2025 marked the introduction of our new logo and tag line: Accelerate Breakthrough Research with Intuitive Sample Preparation. The hope is that our revamped branding strongly resonates with those who count on Organomation sample concentrators and gas generators in their research.

The goal of this blog post is to take a deeper dive into what accelerating research actually looks like and the ways that Organomation is driving this. This year also featured our first ever evaporative workstation contest where researchers used their DIY units to dry down samples. Despite limited resources, these clever DIY setups efficiently remove excess solvent from a small number of samples each week. By comparison, Organomation products can accelerate the research process by providing faster evaporation in place of these homemade setups.

I am extremely fortunate to meet chemists at conferences such as the American Society of Mass Spectrometry. One of the most common questions I am asked when people see our sample dryers is “How long will my evaporation take using your evaporation equipment?” In response, we have developed an easy to use tool which estimates the answer to this question and compares that to how long the process takes currently. This allows us to estimate how much time we can save the lab in evaporation time each week. Try the tool for yourself!

While this tool is still somewhat new, we wanted to share some of the exciting data we have compiled regarding the time saving we can provide analytical laboratories. In summary, across all of the solvents we collected data for, we were able to save labs just under five hours per week! Organomation evaporators especially exceled when it came to generating time savings from chemists working with the following solvents: hexane, chloroform, acetonitrile and methanol.

Hexane Evaporation:

How American University's Evaporator Upgrade Benefits Their Ecogeochemistry Lab

Dr. Chelsea Koch at American University relies on hexane evaporation as a key step in her ecogeochemistry lab, particularly for lipid extraction in Arctic marine ecosystem research. Using a MICROVAP microplate evaporator upgraded to maintain low temperatures, she gently evaporates five to six milliliters of hexane per sample at 25°C—twice during sample preparation—to prevent thermal degradation and ensure the integrity of sensitive biomarkers. This efficient process allows her to process eight samples at a time, concentrating lipid extracts from sediments and tissues for analysis, and is vital for her research into climate change impacts on Arctic marine environments.

Organomation: How American University's Evaporator Upgrade Benefits Their Ecogeochemistry Lab

Chloroform Evaporation:

Nitrogen Generator and Compact Evaporator Improve Fatty Acid Analysis

The Moyo Lab at Louisiana State University uses chloroform evaporation as a critical step in preparing fatty acid extractions from plant, insect, fish, and animal feces samples for nutrient dynamics research. By employing Organomation’s unheated 24-position MICROVAP evaporator in combination with the NITRO-GEN+ nitrogen generator, the lab efficiently removes excess chloroform from 2 mL and 15 mL samples, concentrating the extracts for analysis. This process is streamlined by the nitrogen generator’s continuous, high-purity gas supply, eliminating the need for cumbersome nitrogen cylinders and enabling faster, safer, and more reliable sample preparation with minimal operator training.

Organomation: Nitrogen Generator and Compact Evaporator Improve Fatty Acid Analysis

Acetonitrile Evaporation:

Measuring Stable Isotopes Using Derivatization Before GC-MS Analysis

Metabolic Solutions in Nashua, New Hampshire uses acetonitrile evaporation as a crucial step in their workflow for measuring stable isotopes before GC-MS analysis. After precipitating proteins with acetonitrile, the lab uses a 24-position N-EVAP nitrogen evaporator to remove the acetonitrile, ensuring that all residual moisture is eliminated from the samples, as excess moisture is a leading cause of test failure. This efficient evaporation process enables the addition of the appropriate solvent for derivatization and supports the lab’s high throughput, processing between 20,000 and 30,000 samples annually.

Organomation: Measuring Stable Isotopes Using Derivatization Before GC-MS Analysis

Methanol Evaporation:

Optimizing Creatine Deficiency Research Through Faster Sample Prep Before LC-MS/MS

The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto uses methanol evaporation as a key step in sample preparation for research on creatine deficiency syndromes. Human urine and plasma samples are treated with methanol prior to nitrogen blowdown, while tissue homogenates undergo protein precipitation with TCA and methanol, followed by centrifugation. The supernatant from tissue homogenates is then evaporated to dryness at 60°C for 30 minutes using the MICROVAP sample concentrator; after derivatization and cooling, the samples are again evaporated before resuspension in methanol. This methanol evaporation process is essential for concentrating analytes ahead of LC-MS/MS analysis, and the lab relies daily on the MICROVAP for reliable and efficient sample preparation.

Organomation: Optimizing Creatine Deficiency Research Through Faster Sample Prep Before LC-MS/MS

Conclusion:

Empowering Laboratories with Faster Sample Prep

Accelerating solvent evaporation is more than just a time-saving measure—it’s a transformative step that empowers laboratories to focus on what truly matters: advancing research and making meaningful scientific discoveries. As demonstrated by leading institutions such as American University, Louisiana State University, Metabolic Solutions, and the Hospital for Sick Children, Organomation’s evaporators consistently deliver significant efficiency gains across a variety of workflows—especially for hexane, chloroform, acetonitrile, and methanol evaporation.

With the introduction of our new branding and the launch of our user-friendly time-saving tool, Organomation is committed to supporting researchers in their pursuit of intuitive, reliable, and efficient sample preparation. By choosing Organomation evaporators, labs can reclaim valuable hours each week, minimize manual intervention, and ensure the integrity of sensitive samples—ultimately accelerating the pace of breakthrough research.

Whether you’re processing a handful of samples each week or managing thousands annually, upgrading your evaporation process is a simple way to save time, enhance safety, and drive your research forward. Use our evaporation time calculator tool and accelerate your next breakthrough today!