Discover more – Deliver more

Centri
A breakthrough in automated
sample preparation, extraction
and concentration for GC–MS
Centri 
®

Introducing the Centri portfolio of automated sample

preparation, extraction and concentration platforms
for GC and GC–MS.

Innovation lies at the heart of every Centri instrument, with

Markes’ advanced cryogen-free focusing trap technology to Headspace and SPME and Thermal High-capacity
optimise analytical sensitivity, and enhance the quality and headspace–trap SPME–trap desorption sorptive extraction
quantity of information obtained from GC–MS analyses.
Unique, high‑volume Fast and sensitive The ideal option High-sensitivity
Best-in-class robotic automation provides unrivalled flexibility sampling of sample extraction, for analysis of immersive or
headspace from with a range of trace VOCs and headspace
for unattended, rapid and efficient extraction and liquids and solids. selective fibers, SVOCs. sampling of liquids
preconcentration of VOCs and SVOCs from liquid, solid and including and solids.
gaseous samples. SPME Arrow.

Compatible with all major brands of GC/GC–MS, Centri

systems offer expanded application capabilities to
differentiate your lab:
■ 100× sensitivity enhancement compared to conventional
headspace and SPME methods
■ Versatile water management
■ Selective elimination of volatile interferences
■ More representative chromatographic profiles covering a
broader volatility range
■ The option of robust sorptive probes for immersive
extraction.
Exceptional performance from research to routine analysis

The Centri family of automated sample extraction and concentration platforms addresses
challenging applications, and can be flexibly tailored to your specific requirements.

Centri 90 & Centri 180 Centri 360

Dedicated to high-sensitivity, high-throughput Unrivalled versatility for
routine analysis. full sample characterisation.
■ Centri 90 and Centri 180 offer an innovative approach for ■ Centri 360 is a highly flexible, modular
routine analysis with maximum sensitivity, bringing unrivalled platform for complete sample
productivity to your laboratory. characterisation, with complementary
analyses on a single platform.
■ Reduce the time you spend on sample
preparation with the only system offering
fully automated workflows for all methods,
including headspace and immersive HiSorb
high-capacity sorptive extraction.
■ Benefit from true unattended analysis,
more configuration options and flexible
switching between analytical methods,
while obtaining superior quality data.
■ Centri 90 offers fast processing of both headspace
and SPME samples, and has a modular design that
allows expansion to Centri 180, with added
capability for thermal desorption and HiSorb
high‑capacity sorptive extraction.
■ Benefit from faster chromatographic speed and
lower cost of ownership by adopting H2 carrier gas,
now or in the future.
Centri 90
Enhancing sensitivity in routine VOC analysis
Developed specifically for the selective enrichment of trace volatile and semi-volatile organics in complex real-world samples, Markes’ cryogen-free focusing and injection
technology leads the world in performance and versatility. Field-proven over 25 years, Centri 90’s backflushed trap combines exceptional concentration enhancement
– increasing detection limits by hundreds of times – with representative profiling of trace analytes over the widest available volatility range. It also facilitates selective
purging of water and other volatile interferences as well as providing a multi-step enrichment functionality for improved sensitivity and for method development.

Exceptional concentration enhancement for challenging VVOCs

Superior analyte preconcentration Dichloro- Difluoro- Chloro- Vinyl Butadiene Bromo-
difluoro- chloro- methane chloride (EIC 54) methane
for trace volatiles methane methane (EIC 50) (EIC 62) (EIC 94)
(EIC 85) (EIC 51)
2
3 2

Abundance (× 105 counts)

Abundance (× 105 counts)

Abundance (× 105 counts)

Abundance (× 105 counts)

Abundance (× 105 counts)

Abundance (× 104 counts)

2
2 1 1
1 1
1
1

■ Achieve simultaneous analysis of VOCs 0 0 0 0 0 0

1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.6 2.0
and SVOCs in a single run with expertly-
tailored multi-bed sorbent traps
~70× signal
combined with backflush operation. 6 Headspace–trap
improvement
■ Eliminate the cost and inconvenience of
cryogen, and avoid associated risk of ice 4
Abundance (× 106 counts)

Enhanced sensitivity
blockages with controlled, electrical and excellent peak
cooling. 2 shapes are achieved,
particularly for
■ Optimise sample throughput with short
early-eluting gaseous
analytical cycle times thanks to fast trap 0 compounds, in this
cool-down in combination with robust 4 Direct
80-component mix of
sample overlap. headspace VOCs in water (at
20 µg/L). Sizeable
■ Obtain optimum chromatography with all 2 improvements in the
modes of operation, thanks to the signal-to-noise ratios
narrow-bore design providing fast and are obtained when
0
combining Centri 90
efficient desorption of analytes. 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
Time (min) with GC–MS.
Fast processing of important trace-level applications
Centri 90 boosts throughput and minimises sample preparation with first-class robotic automation, allowing true
unattended operation that supports every stage of the analytical workflow, while delivering clear improvements in
data quality.
Flexibly and rapidly evaluate the advantages of preconcentration using a multi-sorbent, backflushed focusing trap in
Centri 90/Centri 180 while retaining direct GC injection capabilities for existing analyses of HS, SPME, SPME
Arrow and liquid injection samples. In addition, in-built smart traceability features and recording of usage
information improves data confidence, crucial for routine analyses performed in controlled environments.
From solving everyday challenges to providing long-term improvements to data quality in routine analysis,
Markes’ innovative technologies have been optimised for outstanding GC performance.
Benefit from:
■ Versatile water management and selective purging of volatile interferences

■ Enhanced extraction efficiency with multi-step enrichment

■ Advanced sample overlap and prep-ahead mode for increased productivity and quicker time-to-results.

■ Automated pre-analysis leak-checking to ensure sample integrity.

Increasing throughput with sample overlap Eliminating high-abundance interferents

Without overlap
0 min
g

4
din
n

wn
tio

Ethyl acetate
loa

ldo
run
a

1
ub

o
Tra
Inc

GC

Co

Abundance (× 106 counts)

Response (× 107 counts)

With overlap 3

25% increase in A significant

productivity reduction in the
2 5 min response from
ethanol in this
analysis of red
wine is achieved
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 1 by increasing the
Ethanol
Time (min)
purge time to
Propan-1-ol 5 minutes. Other
Fast returns on investment are achieved by the use of overlap and prep-ahead 0 0 Methyl acetate volatiles remain
modes to maximise sample throughput. 5.1 5.2 0 1 2 3 4 5 unaffected.
Time (min) Purge time (min)
Speed up your analysis and reduce your costs per sample
Future-proof your laboratory with Multi-Gas Increasing productivity using hydrogen carrier gas
technology.
He
Centri 90 and Centri 180 are independently certified for
safe use with hydrogen carrier gas, as well as helium and
nitrogen, offering a number of advantages for high
productivity routine analysis.
■ Safeguard against helium shortages and rising
costs by switching now or in the future to a renewable and
sustainable source of carrier gas supply. Remove your dependency on gas
bottles, together with their associated costs, using gas generators to provide 23
H2
a consistent gas supply and eliminate any risk of downtime. min

■ Speed-up sample analysis to maximise your return on investment with faster

GC separations, enabling higher sample throughput and so increasing earning Run time
potential. 14 reduced by
min 40%
■ Remove concerns about potential analyte degradation in the inlet by always
transferring the sample to the trap with an inert carrier (either helium or
nitrogen), while still allowing the choice of hydrogen, helium or nitrogen as 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22
carrier for GC separation. Time (min)

Analysis of ‘air toxics’ at ppt to ppm levels: Using hydrogen as a carrier gas it is possible to significantly
reduce the run time while still maintaining excellent separation.

Maximising your return on investment using hydrogen carrier gas

48 samples per system, per day with helium carrier

~50% (25) more samples per day with hydrogen = 73 samples in total

$100/sample, therefore,
additional earnings of $2500 per system, per day
Upgradability for ever-growing business demands
Transform your GC(–MS) capabilities with Centri 90:
■ Its small footprint allows seamless integration into your lab
by upgrading existing GC–MS.
■ Trap-enabled workflows provide enhanced sensitivity, while
maintaining direct GC injection capabilities.
■ High sample throughput of up to 300 sample vials is
possible, making it ideal for high-productivity labs.

Centri 180: Expand capabilities for

thermal desorption and sorptive
extraction, now or in the future.

Centri 90 with robotics: Centri 180 offers all the functionality and advantages of
For both new and existing
GC–MS systems.
Centri 90, plus:
■ Thermal desorption of sorbent-packed tubes, including direct
thermal extraction, for VOCs and SVOCs in air and materials.
■ Full compatibility with industry-standard tubes and therefore
Centri 90: Upgrade
existing PAL3–GC– compliance with standard methods such as ISO 16000-6,
MS systems. VDA 278 and US EPA Method TO-17.
■ HiSorb sorptive extraction: HiSorb probes can be used for
off-line sampling of VOCs and SVOCs in solids and liquids,
with fully automated analysis on Centri 180.
Centri 360
Unrivalled flexibility for full sample characterisation
Centri 360 is highly flexible and modular, enabling complete sample characterisation through complementary analyses on a single
platform. It supports full automation of high-capacity sorptive extraction workflows for the first time, extracting maximum sample
detail with minimum sample preparation.
Harnessing the power of Markes’ backflushed trap, in combination with automated tool changes and more configuration options,
Centri 360 allows you to tackle the most challenging of applications with a high degree of flexibility for sample discovery.

HiSorb: Extract maximum information with full

Wash/dry station
automation and no sample prep automatically removes
sample matrix from
HiSorb probes, enabling
robust, automated Extended rail length
immersive extraction. offers greater
configuration options
and classical GC
inlet injection.
methods.

Integrated agitator
ensures efficient
extraction of analytes
■ Patented technology allows automated, unattended
from liquid and solid
high-capacity sorptive extraction for the first time. samples.
■ Short-length probes allow headspace sampling from
20 mL vials (or immersive sampling from 10 mL vials). Intelligent software
allows flexible
■ Standard-length probes allow immersive sampling from sequencing between
20 mL vials. different injection
modes without user
■ Multi-phase combinations available for selective Tube module enables
intervention.
preconcentration of a wide range of polar and fully automated analysis
of up to 50 thermal
non‑polar analytes.
desorption tubes.
■ Once sampled, vials are automatically re-sealed with
special plugs to avoid contamination of laboratory air.
 Comprehensive sample profiling Unique re-collection for all sampling modes

During GC injection, Centri’s patented re-collection GC–MS

technology allows the split portion of sample to be
Discover more with Centri 360. transferred automatically to a clean sorbent tube.

Complementary sampling approaches provide comprehensive information about Providing enhanced security for critical,
sample constituents over a wide concentration and volatility range. The flexibility of perishable or limited-size samples,
Centri 360 allows you to easily change between techniques on a single platform, re‑collection allows quantitative, repeat Focusing
analysis without the need to re-sample. trap
making it ideal for non-target research applications such as aroma and flavour profiling.
This also allows simpler and faster Re-collection
Enhanced sample profiling and sample security is enabled by Centri’s proprietary tube
re-collection feature. This allows re-analysis without re-sampling, and enables the method development, provides a means of reliable
dynamic range of the same sample to be extended, to quantify both major and minor data validation, and even permits complementary
components. analysis using different systems or analytical
detectors.
Improve decision making with complementary analyses

1 Ethyl 2-methylpentanoate 4 Isobornyl acetate 7 Rosacetol

2 Limonene 5 Indan-1,3-diol monoacetate 8 n-Heptyl-γ-butyrolactone
3 Dihydromyrcenol 6 Lilial 9 n-Hexyl cinnamaldehyde
Extending dynamic range to detect trace-level analytes with re-collection

2 26 28
Headspace 4 8 13 20 35 39 42 47 48
3
HiSorb
4
4
2 High
3 split
1

Abundance (× 109 counts)

6 7 2
Abundance (× 107 counts)

1 4 2,3-Butanediol
5 8 3-Methylbutanoic acid
0 13 5-Methylfuran-2-one
0 20 2-Ethyl-3-methyl-
pyrazine
2 Immersive 26 Limonene
4 Low 28 3-Propylpyridine,
HiSorb split 35 Phenylethyl alcohol
39 5-Methyl-6,7-
2 dihydrocyclo-
9
1 pentapyrazine
8 42 3-Phenylfuran
0 47 Pentadecane
48 Octadecane
0 5 10 15
0 Time (min)
20 30 40
Time (min) Quantifying major and minor components from the same sample: An initial high split of freshly
ground coffee, sampled using headspace HiSorb, avoids the risk of system overload for higher-
Analysis of a fabric conditioner using different techniques generated a more abundance components, while a lower split ratio applied to the re-collected sample (automatically
comprehensive fragrance profile. This example shows improved responses for later-eluting, retained on a clean sorbent-packed tube during the original HiSorb analysis) improves responses
less-volatile aroma-active compounds when using immersive HiSorb sampling. and allows trace-level analytes to be detected (labelled).
Uncovering detailed sample information
Seamless workflow integration.

Centri 360 increases sample information obtained for discovery applications, thanks to flexible sampling options and preconcentration.
As a result, more comprehensive approaches can be used to separate, detect and identify the compounds present, and provide additional
dimensions of information about every sample.
Seamless integration of Centri 360 with advanced techniques such as GC×GC provides improved separation to uncover hidden or
co-eluting peaks. When coupled with a mass spectrometer like the BenchTOF2 (SepSolve Analytical Ltd), this provides clearer spectra, and
so improves confidence when performing library matches in non-target screening. 
Automated data analysis and intelligent chemometrics software can then be used independently or as part of a complete ‘discovery’
workflow, to quickly find the maximum number of compounds and meaningful trends within complex datasets.

SAMPLE INTRODUCTION SEPARATION DETECTION DATA ANALYSIS CHEMOMETRICS

C7H10O
O 95.050
100
110.0742
65.054
50 BenchTOF2

0 P
9.4 ppm
50 NIST
67.000 110.0732
100
95.000

Extract maximum detail. Uncover more compounds. Remove the guesswork.  Single software platform. Find the differences.
Superior sample extraction and In addition to 1D GC, The BenchTOF2 delivers ChromSpace software The ChromCompare+ (SepSolve)
enrichment using advanced comprehensive 2D GC can exceptional sensitivity, (SepSolve) integrates full module provides powerful,
techniques combined with provide further analyte reference-quality spectra and instrument control with both automated alignment and
electrically-cooled trap separation, uncovering hidden or powerful mass accuracy, giving qualitative and quantitative data chemometrics tools, to quickly
technology enhances sensitivity co-eluting peaks, to reveal even the confidence to distinguish processing in a single, find key differences between
and data quality. more information in every between candidate structures easy‑to‑use platform. complex chromatograms and
sample. with very similar masses. generate meaningful results.
 Ultimate application versatility with Centri 360
Address a wide range of challenging applications with the highest possible sensitivity.

Trace-level compounds in beverages Semi-volatiles in fragranced goods

1 Phenol 7 Ethyl methacrylate
2 3-Methylbutanol 8 Heptan-2-one 4 2 1 α-Pinene
3 Ethyl 2-methylpropanoate 9 Bromoform
2 Limonene
4 3-Methylbut-2-en-1-ol 10 Propyl butanoate
3 Linalool
5 3-Methylbut-2-enyl hexanoate 11 Ethyl isoamyl ketone
4 Benzyl acetate
6 Furfural 3 5 Triethyl citrate

Abundance (× 107 counts)

6 Laureth-2
7 Octinoxoate Information about the
3 semi-volatile components
Abundance (× 106 counts)

3
4 2 7 in this fragranced shower
1 9
8 10 11 Multi-step enrichment gel is obtained using
1
2 7 (red trace, 3 × 5 mL) immersive high-
2 6 4
3 5 greatly increases the 1
capacity sorptive
6
1 number of important extraction. The large
trace-level aroma 5 phase volume provides
compounds identified in greater sampling capacity
0 this headspace–trap 0 than SPME fibers, ideal
2 3 4 5 6 7 analysis of orange juice. 5 10 15 20 25 for trace-level analysis.
Time (min) Time (min)

Trace-level odorants in water Direct thermal extraction for comprehensive aroma profiling
1 α-Pinene 4 5-Methyl-2-tert-butyl- 7 Tetradecane
in
m
os

2 β-Pinene cyclohexanone 8 Pentadecane

Ge

3 Oct-1-en-3-ol 5 Phenol 9 Caryophyllene oxide

6 Thymol 10 Globulol
P
M
IP

IB
M

4 5
2-
P
M

6
IB

5 7
5
A
-TC
Abundance (× 105 counts)

Abundance (× 109 counts)

,6

4
4
2,

4 A range of flavour
9 10 compounds are
3
Advance warning of a 3 8 identified in peppermint
100
potential water-quality tea, using direct thermal
2 50
20 problem is made 2 extraction and TD–GC–
2
10 possible by using HiSorb 3 MS to generate a
1 1
5 sampling to uncover 1 comprehensive and
2
1 ppt
ppt-level odorants below representative aroma
0 0
levels detectable to the profile, with no need for
6 7 8 9 human nose. 5 10 15 sample preparation.
Time (min) Time (min)
 HiSorb was developed with Welsh Government ‘SMART Cymru’ funding.
Centri®, DiffLok™ and HiSorb™ are trademarks of Markes International.
L-0111 (140323-8)
Markes International
World-leading technologies and unmatched expertise in VOC and SVOC monitoring

Founded in 1997, Markes International

is the world leader in thermal
desorption and associated
“ Working with Centri opens the door, in a completely automated way,
to new possibilities in analysis of volatiles. The use of multiple-cumulative
extractions exploiting the trapping technique significantly improves the level
technologies. of information that can be acquired in untargeted studies of volatile
We manufacture a comprehensive metabolites. Centri provides unique capabilities, in a user-friendly interface.
”
range of instrumentation, accessories Giorgia Purcaro, Analytical Chemistry Professor
University of Liège, Belgium
and consumables for enhancing GC–
MS analysis of trace organic chemicals,
and have a well-deserved reputation
for innovation and expertise.
Book your Centri demo
We’re headquartered in Bridgend, UK,
and support customers in over 60 Work with our experienced application
countries through a network of offices chemists to find out how Centri can help you
discover more and deliver more.
and distribution partners.
Access the training and support you need, to
ensure you get the best from your investment.

Markes International
UK: 1000B Central Park, Western Avenue, Bridgend, CF31 3RT T: +44 (0)1443 230935
USA: 2355 Gold Meadow Way, Gold River, Sacramento, California 95670 T: +1 866-483-5684 (toll-free)
Germany: Bieberer Straße 1–7, 63065 Offenbach am Main T: +49 (0)69 6681089-10
P.R. China: Unit 1002, Building 1, No.418, Guilin Road, Shanghai 200233 T: +86 21 5465 1216

E: enquiries@markes.com W: www.markes.com