© 2014 Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. All rights reserved.

A guide to laboratory filtration

Select the optimal Whatman filter for your application - Whatever you need to filter, Whatman has it covered. ™

Cellulose and glass filter papers for general laboratory filtration Filtration devices for small volume sample preparation
Puradisc FP
Symbols used in the selection guide: Step 1: Choose application
3* 4 9*
Δ Also available in prepleated version: Step 2: Choose appropriate filter 11 14
Recommended for filtration of hard to filter
Puradisc Aqua 30
samples or to increase flow rate. *Notes:
ReZist™
3 and 9: CA
12 13
Θ Creped surface: increased filtration speed 1 4 7 14
compared to smooth surface. Is the suspension
Ashless Grades No
strongly acid or
Yes Hardened Ashless Grades
µm
All values in µm refer to particle retention alkaline?
(quantitative) (quantitative)
rating at 98% efficiency.  Start here
• Medium precipitate: • Medium precipitate:
Grade 40 (8 µm), Grade 43 (16 µm) Grade 540 (8 µm)
• Coarse or gelatinous precipitate: • Coarse or gelatinous precipitate:
Grade 41 (20 µm) Yes Grade 541 (22 µm) Applications
• Fine precipitate: • Fine precipitate:
Grade 42 (2.5 µm), Grade 44 (3 µm) Grade 542 (2.7 µm)
1. Air venting

Qualitative Grades 2. Automated filtration of samples/Tablet

Binder Free Glass Microfiber Filters Anotop ™
dissolution testing Puradisc
• Medium precipitate:
• For Standard Methods 2540D:
Grade 1 (11 µm), Grade 2 Δ (8 µm),
Grade 3 (6 µm)
Start here use Grade 934-AH™ or Grade 934-AH RTU 3 4 6 7 8
3. Biological sample preparation 3* 4 7 9*
• For EN 872: 9 10* 11 14 11 12* 13* 14
• Fine precipitate: 4. Capillary electrophoresis
No use Grade GF/C™ *Notes: 0.02 µm
Grade 5 Δ (2.5 µm), Grade 6 (3 µm) *Notes:
• Coarse or gelatinous precipitate: Is the filter to be ashed 5. Difficult to filter samples 3 & 9: CA, PES, PVDF
Yes 12 & 13: PES
Grade 4 (20 -25 µm) during gravimetric analysis Are you (high solid content samples)
determining
and/or do you require an suspended solids
No 6. Filtration of colloidal material
ashless filter? in water?
7. HPLC/UHPLC sample preparation
Anotop Plus 8. Ion-chromatography Mini-UniPrep™ G2
Is high No
wet strength
required?
4 5 7 10* 9. Filtration of protein containing samples 2 7

*Notes: 0.02 µm
10. Filtration of nano particles
Are you filtering
under gravity or No Are you looking 11. Sterile filtration (use sterile filter
Yes No for a membrane
vacuum?
pre-filter?
and membrane with pore size 0.2 μm)
Gravity
Wet Strengthened Grades 12. COD/TOC/DOC
Roby
• For routine samples: Yes
Is the precipitate 13. Trace metal analysis (ICP/AAS/ICP-MS)
Grade 91 Θ (10 µm) and Grade 93 (10µm ) Vacuum 2
to be recovered
• For coarse or gelatinous precipitate: from the filter? Binder Free Glass Microfiber Filters
Grade 113 Θ Δ (30 µm) (higher loading),
14. UV/VIS analysis Mini-UniPrep
Grade 114 Δ (25 µm) • For routine samples:
Grade GF/B (1.0 µm), Grade GF/D (2.7 µm) 2 7
No
COD = Chemical oxygen demand;
Do you require high • For high particulate samples: TOC =Total organic carbon;
Yes loading capacity, very fine Multigrade GMF 150 (1µm) DOC =Dissolved organic carbon
retention (<2.7 µm) or a Note: For guidance only. Only a selection
glass microfiber filter?
of applications shown above
Hardened Low Ash Grades
(quantitative) Yes

• Fine precipitate: SPARTAN™

Grade 50 (2.7 µm) Binder Free Glass Microfiber Grades:
4 7 9 14
• Medium precipitate: Choose most relevant grade based on characteristics
Grade 52 (7 µm)
GF/F GF/B GF/C 934-AH GF/A GF/D
• Coarse or gelatinous precipitate: 0.7µm 1.0µm 1.2µm 1.5µm 1.6µm 2.7µm
Grade 54 (22 µm)

GD/X GD/XP
4 5 4 5 7 8

7 11 14 12 13 14

Need to speed up and simplify filtration? Consider Whatman GD/X™ and Mini-UniPrep ranges
• GD/X - syringe filter Layers 1 and 2 • Mini-UniPrep filter vial and multi compressor
© 2014 Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. All rights reserved. © 2014 Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. All rights reserved. Multilayer construction All in one filtration of up to 8 HPLC samples in parallel
provides easier filtration of
high particulate samples
Layer 3

Layer 4
Membrane filter

GE, imagination at work and GE monogram are trademarks of General Electric Company. 934-AH, Anotop, Whatman GD/X, GF/C, Mini-UniPrep, ReZist, SPARTAN, Whatman are trademarks of General Electric Company or one of its subsidiaries..
© 2014 General Electric Company—All rights reserved. First published March 2014. GE Healthcare UK Limited, Amersham. www.gelifesciences.com
BN 0617143 June 2014