CIA Advantage-xr

Cryogen-free automated canister and

whole-air sampling system
CIA Advantage-xr 
™

Introducing the CIA Advantage-xr – a cryogen-free system for the automated GC and GC–MS analysis of trace-level
volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds (VOCs and SVOCs) from canisters and whole-air samples.

Since 1997, Markes International has pioneered many breakthroughs in analytical instrumentation, making it the world leader in thermal
desorption. We now present the CIA Advantage-xr – a multi-channel accessory that connects to the UNITY-xr, Markes’ manual thermal desorption
instrument, offering robust, high-throughput, method-compliant analysis for both canister and tube samples.

Like other instruments in Markes International’s world-

leading ‘xr’ series, the UNITY–CIA Advantage-xr offers:
Dry-Focus3™: Trouble-free
sampling of humid air
■■ Extended re-collection New Kori-xr water management
■■ Extended analyte range enables simultaneous sampling
of C2 and polar VOCs.
■■ Extended reliability.

Precise quantitative analysis

Internal standard capability is
Efficient cryogen-free trapping compliant with international
Electrically-cooled focusing trap methods.
eliminates the cost of liquid
nitrogen and ensures fast
sample throughput. Unparalleled analyte range
Inert, optimised flow paths allow
quantitative recovery of C2 to
C44, including reactive and
thermally labile species.
Quantitative sample splitting
and re-collection
Outstanding productivity
Quantitative sample re‑collection
of split flow enables repeat Up to 27 samples at high and low
analysis of critical samples and concentrations can be analysed
method validation. in one unattended sequence.
Innovative technology for maximum laboratory efficiency
High-productivity canister analysis of ambient air

CIA Advantage-xr allows high-sensitivity analysis of

very volatile organic compounds (VVOCs), polar
species and oxygenates in humid samples.
How the UNITY–CIA Advantage–Kori-xr works

CIA Advantage-xr systems offer key advantages for

busy laboratories: 1 Air sampling and water removal with Dry-Focus3
Canister or whole-air samples pass through
■■ Reduced running costs – Dry-Focus3 and the Kori-xr trap (where humidity is
i -x r
cryogen-free operation of the entire system deposited as ice), before being Kor

be
p
tra

tu
overcomes the limitations of traditional liquid- focused on the trap of the

ng

n
si

io
Tubes and traps

cu

ct
Fo

le
nitrogen-cooled technology for canister analysis, UNITY-xr. This trap is then

ol
can contain

e-c
flushed to remove

/r
such as high costs and flow path blocking caused multiple

li t
Sp
any residual sorbents, for
by ice formation. analysis of an
water.
extended range
■■ Increased number of samples per day – Heated
of analytes.
internal lines and efficient purging combine to
eliminate carryover, resulting in a need for fewer
blanks and boosting productivity.
■■ Minimal sample preparation – Electronic sample
splitting and the option of small-volume gas-loop 2 Trap desorption, water purging, and outlet split
sampling enhances compatibility with high- The focusing trap is rapidly heated in a

CG
To
concentration samples, so removing the need for reverse flow of carrier gas, to transfer
time-consuming sample preparation and the analytes to the GC column.
i -x r
eliminating introduction of external contaminants. Simultaneously, the Kori-xr trap Kor

be
p
is heated in a flow of gas,

tra

tu
ng

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si

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■■ High-throughput operation – Addition of an During trap

cu
expelling the trapped

ct
Fo

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ol
desorption, the

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optional CIA Satellite-xr module adds 13 more water.

e
/r
flow of analytes

li t
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sampling channels, enabling automated, can be split and
re‑collected onto
unattended analysis of up to 27 canisters. gas a clean sorbent
r ier
C ar tube.
The perfect solution for canister analysis
Full compliance with key standard methods

The CIA Advantage-xr has been specifically TO-15 analysis of high-humidity air 1 Propene
2 Dichlorodifluoromethane
designed for analysis of multiple canisters 3 Dichlorotetrafluoroethane
4 Chloromethane
50 5 Vinyl chloride
(and bags) used to monitor volatile organic 51 6 Butadiene
52 64 7 Bromomethane
hazardous air pollutants – ‘air toxics’ as 53 8 Chloroethane
100% RH 9 Trichlorofluoromethane
specified in US EPA Method TO-15 and 1 56 57 59
58 60
10 Ethanol
11 Acrolein
Chinese EPA Method HJ 759. 29 44
49
62 12 1,1-Dichlorethene
36 63 13 1,1,2-Trichlorotrifluoroethane
12 28 30 65 14 Acetone
35 37 41 45 48 54 55 61
13 31
The UNITY–CIA Advantage-xr system has 3 14 18 23 26 32 34 39 43 46
15 Isopropanol
16 Carbon disulfide
15 19 24 27 33 38 40 47 17 Dichloromethane
been proved to have: 1 2
5
4 6
9
16
17
20 21
22 25
42
18 1,2-Dichloroethene
11
7 19 tert-Butyl methyl ether
8 10 20 Hexane
■■ Outstanding system linearity: Analysis 0 21 1,1-Dichloroethane
22 Vinyl acetate
of air streams at up to 100% relative Abundance (× 106 counts)
23 trans-1,2-Dichloroethene
24 Methyl ethyl ketone
humidity (RH). 75% RH 25 Ethyl acetate
1 26 Chloroform
27 Tetrahydrofuran
■■ Part-per-trillion-level
method 28 1,1,1-Trichloroethane
29 Cyclohexane
detection limits (MDLs): Compatible 30 Tetrachloromethane
31 1,2-Dichloroethane
with trace-level TD–GC–MS analysis. 32 Benzene
33 Heptane
34 Trichloroethene
■■ Excellent reproducibility: Area and 35 1,2-Dichloropropane
0 36 Methyl methacrylate
retention-time reproducibilities are well 37 p-Dioxane
38 Bromodichloromethane
within mandated limits, for rapid data 39 cis-1,3-Dichloropropene
40 4-Methylpentan-2-one
reviewing and reporting. 1 50% RH 41 Toluene
42 trans-1,3-Dichloropropene
43 1,1,2-Trichloroethane
44 Tetrachloroethene
45 Methyl n-butyl ketone
46 Chlorodibromomethane
47 1,2-Dibromoethane
48 Chlorobenzene
49 Ethylbenzene
50 m-Xylene
0 51 p-Xylene
52 o-Xylene
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 53 Styrene
54 Tribromomethane
Time (min) 55 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane
56 4-Ethyltoluene
57 1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene
58 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene
59 1,2-Dichlorobenzene
Excellent peak shapes and interference-free monitoring of early-eluting polar compounds (   ) 60 1,4-Dichlorobenzene
61 Benzyl chloride
can be achieved using the UNITY–CIA Advantage–Kori-xr system, as shown by this analysis of a 62 1,3-Dichlorobenzene
65-component TO-15 mix at 50, 75 and 100% relative humidity. 63 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene
64 Hexachlorobutadiene
65 Naphthalene
Versatile modules for extended analytical capabilities
Options for high- and low-concentration analysis Monitoring polar species in humid samples

Two models of the CIA Advantage-xr are available – Trace (T) and High/Low When analysing humid air samples, it is necessary to remove the moisture
(HL): before the gas flow reaches the GC column and detector, in order to avoid
poor chromatography. However, certain ultra-volatile and polar species can
■■ CIAAdvantage T-xr – A four-channel system dedicated to the analysis of
be lost when using conventional water-management approaches such as a
trace-level components.
trap dry-purge or a Nafion™ dryer.
■■ CIAAdvantage HL-xr – A versatile 14-channel system for the analysis of
both high- and low-concentration samples. Gas-loop sampling in addition Dry-Focus3 is a unique, triple-step focusing and
to mass flow control makes this system ideal for screening unknowns and water management mechanism that operates
preventing system overload. entirely without liquid cryogen. It leverages
the Kori-xr ™ option, also compatible with
on-line air monitoring applications like
Increased capacity PAMS, and a programmable trap dry-purge
to selectively remove vapour-phase water
The CIA Satellite-xr module adds 13 more sampling channels to both prior to analyte injection – guaranteeing
the T and HL models. high-sensitivity, automated air analysis.

Options for water management compared

Nafion™ Trap set at

Analyte type Dry-Focus3
dryer 25°C

C2 compounds  × 
Non-polar C3+   
Monoterpenes ×  
Polar VOCs ×  
Sulfur compounds   
Kori-xr was developed in collaboration with the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS) at the University of York.
It was co-funded by the UK’s innovation agency (Innovate UK), the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and
the Welsh Government under the Knowledge Transfer Partnership program.
Options for enhanced method validation
Internal standard addition Options for method-compliant canister and tube analysis

The internal standard capability of the CIA Advantage-xr,

included in all configurations, transfers a precise
ULTRA-xr tube autosampler
aliquot of the gaseous standard to the focusing trap (optional)
prior to sampling.

Fully method-compliant
tube‑based analysis
In addition to automated canister analysis, the
CIA Advantage-xr has the ability to run sorbent tube CIA Advantage-xr
analysis across a variety of application areas, in canister autosampler Kori-xr water condenser GC & detector
Automated
compliance with standard methods such as US EPA Tube
sample
desorb
Method TO-17. re-collection
0.5 mL loop Water condenses
Stream
Sorbent tubes extend the airborne analyte range selection
beyond the limitations of canisters and other whole-air MFC
Water then purged
containers, to include critical semi-volatile pollutants
such as PAHs, phthalates, chemical agents and PCBs.
They also facilitate the complete recovery of Key
compounds up to n-C44.
Main flowpath
Optional flowpath

Automated sample re-collection Sampling flow Split

(to vent or
Desorption flow re-collection
Adding an ULTRA-xr to the UNITY–CIA Advantage-xr is Automated tube options tube)
Up to 27 Internal standard
Focusing
canisters
possible at any time due to the modular nature of all No user intervention required to trap
switch between canisters and
Markes’ systems. tubes UNITY-xr thermal desorber

This upgrade facilitates automated analysis of up to

100 sorbent tubes, as well as automated sample
re‑collection from sorbent tubes and canisters. The modular nature of CIA Advantage-xr systems means that options for tube analysis and sample re-collection
are easily configured – complementing the capability for addition of internal standards inherent to every instrument.
Markes Instrument Control Unmatched product range
Easy-to-use software for the new ‘xr’ series A comprehensive range of sorbent tubes and
sampling accessories for every TD application

Micro-Chamber/Thermal Extractor ™ for

fast and flexible sampling of chemicals and
odours released from materials and foods.

ACTI-VOC ™ pump – MTS-32™ for pumped

optimised for sequential sampling
sorbent tube onto multiple tubes.
sampling.

The new software used to control the CIA Advantage-xr and the other
members of the ‘xr’ series offers the following features for enhanced
laboratory productivity:
Easy-VOC ™ for VOC-Mole™
simple, rapid for soil gas
■■ Automated, unattended sequencing of tube and on-line samples. ‘grab-sampling’ sampling.
■■ Editing of active sequences, for greater flexibility and ease of use. of air/gas.

■■ Rapid set-up of TD methods using pre-programmed parameters

for standard methods including VDA 278, US EPA TO‑17 and TubeTAG™ – RFID tags for Brass storage caps for
PAH analysis. ultimate tube traceability Sample tubes – ultimate sample integrity.
and quality assurance. Stainless steel, glass or DiffLok ™ caps for tubes on
of an internal standard on a tube or trap, for
■■ Pre-loading inert-coated, individually autosampler.
enhanced quantitation. barcoded and with Diffusion caps for passive
single- or multi-bed sampling.
■■ System self-checking, for improved diagnostics. sorbents for maximum
application versatility.
 L-0090 (070917-5)
Product names used with the ™ symbol are trademarks of Markes International, except Nafion™, which is a trademark of the Chemours Company.
Markes International – The TD experts
World-leading instruments and unmatched expertise in VOC and SVOC monitoring

Markes International has for 20 years been at the forefront of innovation for enhancing the measurement of trace-level VOCs and SVOCs by thermal desorption–
gas chromatography. Our suite of instruments for thermal desorption sets the benchmark for quality and reliability:

TD100-xr ™ UNITY-xr ™ UNITY–Air Server-xr™ ULTRA-xr ™ TT24-7™ TC-20™ & TC-20 TAG™ Micro-Chamber/Thermal Extractor ™
High-throughput Single-tube thermal Versatile on-line VOC High-throughput Twin-trap instrument Cost-effective systems Unique sampling device for emissions
100-tube automated desorber featuring monitoring system. 100-tube for near-real-time for off-line multi-tube of VOCs and SVOCs from products and
thermal desorber. sample re-collection autosampler for on-line monitoring. conditioning and materials.
of all split flows. UNITY-xr. dry-purging.

Markes International
UK: Gwaun Elai Medi-Science Campus, Llantrisant, RCT, CF72 8XL T: +44 (0)1443 230935
US: 2355 Gold Meadow Way, Gold River, Sacramento, California 95670 T: 866-483-5684 (toll-free)
Germany: Schleussnerstrasse 42, D-63263 Neu-Isenburg, Frankfurt T: +49 (0)6102 8825569
E: [email protected] W: www.markes.com