Which 96-Well Plate Should I Use for LCMS?

Choosing the right 96-well plate depends on several factors, including whether it is rimmed or non-rimmed, its sample recovery capabilities, and the potential for sample binding.

Rimmed vs. Non-Rimmed Polypropylene 96-Well Plates

Rimmed well plates are effective at preventing cross-contamination and ensuring a secure seal when used with thermal plate sealers. These sealers are compatible with various heat seal films and foils, providing either permanent or peelable seals for common microplate materials such as polypropylene, polystyrene, and polyethylene.

Non-Rimmed plates are ideal for use with adhesive films. We recommend our PTFE film, which features an adhesive-free area around each well, keeping plastic pipette tips and metal probes clean. For reliable, high-throughput applications, our BST-9790 sealing film is the preferred choice.

What if Sample Recovery Is a Concern?

When sample recovery is a concern in deciding which 96-well plate you should use for LCMS, we have 1mL plates with a unique 50µL tapered reservoir. This unique reservoir allows you to fill the wells with 1mL (round wells) of sample but also enables you to get to the last few µLs of precious sample (or standards).

What if I Am Concerned With My Sample Binding To Plastic?

Many labs are converting more assays over to LCMS platforms as it lends itself to high-throughput automation. But some samples are not ideal to use with polypropylene 96-well plates; therefore, we offer glass microplates and glass inserts pre-loaded into a 96-well plate. One of our customers recently had issues with hydrophobic peptides sticking to their plastic plates and getting erratic results. Our 96-well plates with glass inserts allowed the customer to automate their assay and use glass for sample compatibility. Another advantage of glass is that it is a good heat conductor (compared to plastic plates), so when your assay requires heating your sample, try our glass inserts in 96-well plates. These plates are not just for LCMS assays; see a recently published method for a high-throughput FAMEs analysis via GCMS prominently featuring the Chrom Tech Multi-Tier Glass Inserts in Plate system.