Thermo Scientific Dionex Easion Ion Chromatography System

Importance of the Topic

Ion chromatography is a fundamental analytical tool for routine water quality monitoring, environmental testing, and industrial quality assurance. A compact, easy-to-use system can reduce training time, bench space, and maintenance while ensuring reliable detection and quantification of anions and cations.

Objectives and Study Overview

This application note presents the Thermo Scientific Dionex Easion Ion Chromatography system. The goals are to assess its rapid setup, ease of operation, chemical suppression performance, chromatographic resolution, and reproducibility for common anion and cation analyses in drinking water.

Methodology and Instrumentation

The system integrates a dual-piston PEEK eluent pump, a fixed-loop injection valve compatible with manual or autosampler operation, an online membrane-based chemical suppressor with continuous regeneration, and a thermally-controlled conductivity detector. Data acquisition and processing are managed by Chromeleon Chromatography Data System software in seven straightforward steps involving eluent preparation, regenerant setup, system equilibration, sample entry, injection, and data processing.

Main Results and Discussion

The Easion IC system delivered sharp, well-resolved peaks for seven inorganic anions—fluoride, chloride, nitrite, bromide, nitrate, phosphate, and sulfate—in under 15 minutes. Ten replicate injections showed minimal retention time variation and consistent peak areas. Baseline noise was low, ensuring sensitivity at low mg/L levels. Equivalent performance was demonstrated for six cations—lithium, sodium, ammonium, magnesium, potassium, and calcium—using the dedicated cation analysis kit, achieving clear separation in a single run.

Benefits and Practical Applications

• Complete analysis kits (columns, suppressor, eluent/regenerant concentrates) enable system start-up in approximately 90 minutes.
• Membrane suppressor technology reduces baseline drift and lowers maintenance demands.
• Space-saving footprint and intuitive CDS software simplify training for new users.
• High reliability and reproducibility support routine QA/QC tasks in water, food, pharmaceutical, and environmental laboratories.

Future Trends and Potential Applications

• Integration with autosamplers for increased throughput and unattended operation.
• Adoption of specialized IonPac columns to extend the method to trace-level trace metals, organic acids, or isotopic speciation.
• Alignment with laboratory information management systems (LIMS) and cloud-based data analytics for enhanced data integrity and reporting.
• Possible coupling with mass spectrometry for improved sensitivity and selectivity in complex matrices.

Conclusion

The Thermo Scientific Dionex Easion IC system streamlines routine ion chromatography by combining an intuitive user interface, robust chemical suppression, and comprehensive analysis kits. Its compact design and rapid setup deliver reliable, reproducible results for both anion and cation analyses, making it ideal for laboratories requiring consistent performance with minimal maintenance.

Used Instrumentation

• Thermo Scientific Dionex Easion Ion Chromatography system
• Dual-piston PEEK eluent pump
• Membrane-based chemical suppressor with online regeneration
• Thermally-controlled conductivity detector
• Chromeleon Chromatography Data System software (CDS)
• IonPac AS22 analytical column with AG22 guard column (anion kit)
• IonPac CS12A analytical column with CG12A guard column (cation kit)