MicroWave-Assisted Extraction (UltraWAVE) is an automated single chamber reaction (SRC) technique allowing simultaneous digestion of several types of matrices (food, environmental, chemical, ect) without risk of contamination during the cycle.
This device combines microwave heating with a high-pressure reactor that acts as a cavity and microwave vessel. Its operation is simple and completely automated with an external terminal provided with a touchscreen display.
After weighing the samples in TFM tubes and adding the digestion acid, these are capped and loaded onto a rack which is lowered automatically into the reaction chamber. The whole is immersed in a water/acid solution allowing uniform heating and constant microwave energy. The chamber is then hermetically sealed, secured and pressurized with inert gas (40 bars). This compression prevents the samples from boiling during analysis and acts as a cover over the contents of the tubes preventing any cross contamination.
The microwave program is launched and all the samples undergo the same digestion conditions (temperature, pressure, energy received). At the end of the cycle, cooling rapidly lowers the temperature of the samples. After decompression and evacuation of acid fumes, the rack is automatically lifted and the tubes containing the digested samples are collected and can be analyzed.