Trap Chemistry Reference
Optimize trap literature uses several kinds of chemistry and packing names. Some are conventional stationary-phase names such as C18, C8, SAX, or SCX. Others are application-specific names such as Peptide Concentration & Desalting Trap or Small Molecule SDS Removal.
Those names should not be treated as interchangeable simply because they sound related, appear in similar applications, or occur in more than one product family.
This reference preserves the documented names and the relationships that are actually established. It does not independently select a trap family, holder, bed volume, configuration, or part number.
How to Use This Reference
Use this page after identifying the application objective and before selecting the exact product configuration.
A documented chemistry name establishes only what the available evidence supports for that name. It does not automatically establish that:
- similarly named phases are the same chemistry;
- the same generic phase name represents identical packing across different trap families;
- a phase available in a family is suitable for a particular application;
- two products with related chemistry names are replacements or interchangeable;
- a cartridge physically fits a particular holder.
For application guidance, use the relevant trapping application page. For documented physical fit, use Trap Compatibility & Holder Reference.
Application-Specific Trap Chemistry Names
The following names have application-specific meaning and should be preserved exactly.
| Exact name | Established role | Important boundary |
|---|---|---|
| SCX (Strong Cation Exchange) Trap | Application-specific SCX identity used in Optimize's documented peptide-fractionation / 2D trapping workflow | Keep separate from generic SCX |
| Peptide Concentration & Desalting Trap | Application-specific packing for the documented peptide concentration-and-desalting path | Do not equate with generic Peptide, Peptides ES-C18, C8, C18, or another phase |
| Protein Concentration & Desalting Trap | Application-specific packing for the documented protein concentration-and-desalting path | Do not equate with generic Protein, C4, or another packing |
| Small Molecule SDS Removal | Application-specific option for the supported SDS-removal path | Do not equate with generic Small Molecule, SAX, SCX, or another chemistry |
| Non-Ionic Detergent Removal | Application-specific option for the documented non-ionic-detergent-removal path | Do not equate with generic NID, SCX, SAX, mixed-mode phases, or another packing |
The exact wording matters. A shorter or related name elsewhere in Optimize literature does not, by itself, establish chemistry identity or application equivalence.
Application-Specific Names Versus Related Generic Names
Some historical descriptions compare chromatographic behavior without establishing chemistry identity.
Peptide Concentration & Desalting Trap and C8
Historical Optimize trapping literature describes the Peptide Concentration & Desalting Trap packing as having retention similar to a C8 phase.
That description does not establish that the application-specific packing is C8, that generic C8 is interchangeable with it, or that a C8 option in another trap family is automatically suitable for the same application.
Protein Concentration & Desalting Trap and C4
Historical Optimize trapping literature similarly describes the Protein Concentration & Desalting Trap packing as having retention similar to a C4 phase.
That does not establish identity or interchangeability with generic C4.
SCX (Strong Cation Exchange) Trap and generic SCX
Optimize also documents the generic phase name SCX in multiple trap-family selection guides.
Generic SCX remains a separate identity from the application-specific SCX (Strong Cation Exchange) Trap. Availability of generic SCX in a family does not, by itself, establish that family's suitability for the documented peptide-fractionation / 2D trapping application.
Small Molecule, C18AQ, and Historical ODS-AQ
Current Small Molecule and current C18AQ are established as distinct phase identities. ODS-AQ is a separate historical packing name whose relationship to the current Small Molecule identity remains unresolved.
Optimize family literature documents Small Molecule and C18AQ as distinct phase labels. Historical trapping literature separately describes a Small Molecule Concentration & Desalting Trap using an ODS-AQ packing.
This reference does not establish that current Small Molecule is historical ODS-AQ, and it does not establish that C18AQ and ODS-AQ are equivalent or interchangeable.
Do not use the historical small-molecule concentration/desalting method to select a current phase or product family automatically. For a current small-molecule concentration or desalting recommendation, use the Sample Concentration & Desalting application path or contact Optimize Technologies.
Generic and Family-Documented Phase Names
The names below appear in Optimize trap-family literature. The table records where a name is documented; it does not establish application suitability, identical packing across families, or current availability of every configuration.
| Documented phase or packing name | Trap-family literature in which the name appears |
|---|---|
| C18 | Original OPTI-LYNX, OPTI-LYNX Micro, EXP2 Stem Trap, EXP Trap Column; historical EXP2 Nano |
| SCX | Original OPTI-LYNX, OPTI-LYNX Micro, EXP2 Stem Trap, EXP Trap Column; historical EXP2 Nano |
| C18AQ | Original OPTI-LYNX, OPTI-LYNX Micro |
| SAX | Original OPTI-LYNX, OPTI-LYNX Micro, EXP2 Stem Trap, EXP Trap Column; historical EXP2 Nano |
| C8 | Original OPTI-LYNX, OPTI-LYNX Micro, EXP2 Stem Trap, EXP Trap Column; historical EXP2 Nano |
| C4 | Original OPTI-LYNX, OPTI-LYNX Micro, EXP2 Stem Trap, EXP Trap Column; historical EXP2 Nano |
| DVB | Original OPTI-LYNX, OPTI-LYNX Micro |
| DVB/SCX | Original OPTI-LYNX, OPTI-LYNX Micro |
| Protein | OPTI-LYNX Micro |
| Peptide | OPTI-LYNX Micro |
| NID | OPTI-LYNX Micro |
| Small Molecule | OPTI-LYNX Micro |
| HILIC | EXP2 Stem Trap, EXP Trap Column; historical EXP2 Nano |
| Phenyl-Hexyl | EXP2 Stem Trap, EXP Trap Column; historical EXP2 Nano |
| PFP | EXP2 Stem Trap, EXP Trap Column; historical EXP2 Nano |
| ES-CN | EXP2 Stem Trap, EXP Trap Column; historical EXP2 Nano |
| Penta-HILIC | EXP2 Stem Trap, EXP Trap Column; historical EXP2 Nano |
| RP-Amide | EXP2 Stem Trap, EXP Trap Column; historical EXP2 Nano |
| Peptides ES-C18 | EXP2 Stem Trap, EXP Trap Column; historical EXP2 Nano |
| Custom | Documented in multiple trap-family selection guides |
EXP2 Nano is discontinued. Its names are included only because customers may encounter them in historical Optimize literature. Their presence here does not make Nano a current product-family route and does not establish interchangeability with EXP2 Stem Trap or another family.
Older OPTI-TRAP Labels
Older OPTI-TRAP catalog literature uses shortened labels including Protein, Peptide, NID, SCX, and Small Molecule.
Current application-specific names should not be silently normalized to those older labels. A historical shortened label and a current application-specific name should be treated as separate identities unless an explicit relationship has been established.
This distinction is especially important for:
- Peptide versus Peptide Concentration & Desalting Trap;
- Protein versus Protein Concentration & Desalting Trap;
- NID versus Non-Ionic Detergent Removal;
- SCX versus SCX (Strong Cation Exchange) Trap;
- Small Molecule versus Small Molecule SDS Removal.
Historical Small-Molecule and Protein-Removal Names
Small Molecule Concentration & Desalting Trap
Historical Optimize trapping literature documents a Small Molecule Concentration & Desalting Trap and identifies ODS-AQ within that historical method.
That historical evidence does not establish a current commercial identity for the same packing and does not establish equivalence to current Small Molecule or C18AQ phase names.
ISRP Protein Removal Trap
Historical Optimize literature documents an ISRP Protein Removal Trap using an Internal Surface Reversed-Phase approach for protein removal.
Current commercial status and current naming for ISRP have not been established in the reviewed evidence. This page therefore does not present ISRP as a current option, a discontinued product, a custom-only offering, or a replacement or migration path.
For a present-day protein-removal requirement or an ISRP availability question, contact Optimize Technologies.
Chemistry Availability Does Not Equal Application Suitability
Finding a chemistry name in a trap-family selection guide answers only part of the selection question.
For example:
- generic SCX appearing in several families does not establish that each family supports the documented SCX peptide-fractionation workflow;
- generic Peptide does not establish equivalence to Peptide Concentration & Desalting Trap;
- Peptides ES-C18 does not establish equivalence to either generic Peptide or Peptide Concentration & Desalting Trap;
- generic Protein does not establish equivalence to Protein Concentration & Desalting Trap;
- generic NID does not establish equivalence to Non-Ionic Detergent Removal;
- generic Small Molecule does not establish equivalence to Small Molecule SDS Removal or the historical ODS-AQ small-molecule concentration/desalting method.
Use the relevant application page to determine whether a chemistry relationship is established strongly enough to support an application path.
From Chemistry Reference to Product Selection
This reference supports the chemistry stage of the selection process:
problem/objective -> application path -> chemistry relationship -> product-family candidate -> exact product/configuration
After identifying the chemistry relationship:
- use Sample Concentration & Desalting for concentration or desalting objectives;
- use Detergent Removal for SDS/ionic- or non-ionic-detergent removal;
- use Peptide Fractionation & 2D LC Trapping for the documented tandem SCX peptide-fractionation workflow;
- use Trap Compatibility & Holder Reference only after a product/configuration question requires documented physical-fit evidence.
If the chemistry name, application relationship, current availability, or appropriate product path is not established, contact Optimize Technologies rather than inferring equivalence from terminology.