OptiMelt Automated Melting Point System - Stanford Research ...

10 Getting Started Chapter 18. Preheat the oven to the Start TemperatureTouch the Heat button on the Melt screen to rapidly preheat the oven to the StartTemperature.An audible tone is heard and the Ready LED is turned on as soon as the Start temperatureis reached and becomes stable.OptiMelt is now ready for a melting point determination.9. Insert the sample capillariesInsert the capillary sample tube(s) into the oven and wait a few seconds for thetemperature of the oven to stabilize (thermal soak).Tips• Never force a capillary into the heating block! Once the capillary is inserted into asample hole, it should literally drop down to the bottom of the heating stand.• Introducing the capillaries at this time minimizes sample exposure to hightemperatures. This is a very important consideration for labile samples which meltwith decomposition.10. Initiate Heating RampTouch the Start Button on the Melt Screen to initiate the temperature ramp and theautomated melt determination process. After a brief delay the oven temperature willcommence to rise at the specified ramp Rate. The capillary tubes must not be disturbedwhile the ramping takes place. The heating ramp is terminated when (1) the Stoptemperature is reached or (2) when the Halt button is touched.Touch the Graph button at any time to view the evolution of the Melt Graph generated bythe Digital Image Processor during the ramping process.Touch the Halt button at any time to terminate the heating process before the Stoptemperature is reached.TipUse the Halt button if the sample(s) is observed to completely melt before the Stoptemperature is reached. The actual Halt temperature is recorded in the test report.11. View the MeltVisualization of the melt during the heating ramp is via the observation window locatedon the front panel of OptiMelt. All three capillaries can be observed simultaneously.All important changes that take place in the capillary tubes can be manually flagged bytouching the individual “sample buttons” located at the bottom of the Melt screen. Thethree samples are identified as Left, Center and Right according to their physical locationin the heating block.OptiMelt Automated Melting Point System