Microwave digestion is a technique used to break down materials in a test sample. By adding strong acids and even bases and heating, the homogenization process of the sample is accelerated. This results in a solution in which there are highly solubilized organic materials and metal ions, suitable for spectrophotometry analysis and knowing the components that make up the resulting solution.
This technique is preferred by most scientists, relative to other techniques, for its speed and effectiveness. For example, in methods such as incineration, where the sample is burned to ashes, many analytes needed for further analysis are lost. In fusion decomposition, on the other hand, the reaction is more complex and labor intensive. Microwave digesters can decompose samples in periods of 20 to 40 minutes.
Microwave digestion is used to solubilize a wide variety of samples in many industries and branches, among which stand out agricultural, scientific, medical, environmental, geoscience, mining, metallurgy and pharmaceutical, among others. The only types of samples in which this technique cannot be used are explosives, perchlorates and propellants.
Microwave digestion
The objective of any microwave digester is to perform a complete decomposition of the sample into its most elemental components, which can be samples of pharmaceuticals, plants, food, soil or even human body tissues. Microwave digesters are known for their fast functioning. They are based on the use of special closed containers, which are chemically inert, to which the sample and the acid to be used are added, and subsequently heat and decompose the sample to obtain a solution that can be analyzed in the spectrophotometer.
Heating the acid along with the sample in a closed container causes a rapid increase in temperature and internal pressure. This allows for a much higher rate of decomposition. The temperature at which the microwave digesters work is usually above the boiling temperature of the acids, for this reason the sample containers must be inert, so that no further reaction occurs that could damage the solution or harm the user.
Fields in which microwave digesters are used
Microwave digesters are extremely useful and vital tools in all branches of science where it is essential to know the components of various types of samples. Its operation allows the study of biological samples, such as tumor tissues or food samples to know their mineral components, among others. Here are some of its uses in different fields:
- In medicine: in the detection of diseases such as cancer or for heating contrast media.
- In biology: for fixing tissues and knowing the components, in the performance of enzyme tests.
- In agriculture: to know the minerals of the food.
- In chemistry: to prepare and heat samples, to evaporate solutions, among others.
Microwave digestion for cancer detection
In the field of medicine, microwave digestion has a particular importance because it can be used to know the most basic elements of tissues through spectrophotometry and therefore know if there is an abnormality in this tissue that requires some type of medical treatment. This technology has now allowed it to be used as a tool to detect cancer.
For example, some authors have used microwave digestion with atomic absorption spectrophotometry to measure aluminum in breast tissue biopsies. According to these authors, it is possible to detect breast cancer according to the regional distribution of aluminum in the breast. This is just one example of the applications that microwave digestion has in this field.
Kalstein brand microwave digesters
Kalstein is a leading company in medical and laboratory instruments, we are MANUFACTURERS of a wide variety of equipment, within which, of course, we have the best microwave digesters, which are characterized by:
- Optional number of containers, up to 12 containers to meet different digestion requirements.
- Vertical layout for uniform microwave distribution.
- Real-time monitoring of both the temperature and the pressure of each container. HERE
You can make your PURCHASE with us and we assure you that you will get the best equipment at the best PRICES. To view our catalog of microwave digesters enter HERE
