Agilent Technologies Introduces Liquid Chromatography System, Successor to Its Market-Leading 1100 LC; With New Rapid-Resolution Configuration, 1200 Series is World's Fastest, Most Comprehensive LC System.

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) today introduced the Agilent 1200 Series LC (liquid chromatography) system, replacing its market-leading 1100 Series LC. Used by more than 250,000 customers worldwide in applications from forensics to food safety, pharmaceuticals and protein research, LC is a measurement technology used to separate, identify, quantify and purify compounds. It represents a $2 billion market and is one of the largest sources of revenue for Agilent's life science and chemical analysis business.

Since introducing the 1100 Series instrument in 1995, Agilent has sold more than 400,000 modules, or roughly 60,000 LC systems, making it the most popular LC in the industry. To protect customer investments, Agilent has made the 1200 reverse-compatible with the 1100. Customers can combine new and existing modules, and can continue using existing methods without costly new method development, revalidation or retraining of operators. Agilent even provides an 1100 Emulation Mode for customers using non-Agilent software until third-party software upgrades are available.

The Agilent 1200 is the most comprehensive LC available. With more than 60 instrument modules, it can be configured for all major LC applications, including a new rapid-resolution format as well as prep-scale, standard, narrow, capillary, nanoflow, and Agilent's revolutionary chip-based liquid chromatography. Now HPLC-Chips are available to apply this technology for both small and large molecule work, with chromatographic separation or just for infusion of samples. Nanospray HPLC-Chip/MS technology can provide customers with more than a 1,000-fold improvement in sensitivity over conventional LC/MS.

The Agilent 1200 Series Rapid Resolution System

The new 1200 Series Rapid Resolution System provides up to 20 times faster analysis and 60 percent higher resolution than conventional LC, making it twice as fast and three times as precise as the competition's best systems. The system can also still run any traditional LC method, making it the most flexible LC on the market. Further, a special high-throughput configuration of the 1200 Rapid Resolution system allows sequential execution of more than 2,000 samples per day on a single system -- without giving up data quality or method flexibility.

The system features more than 70 new Rapid Resolution High Throughput (RRHT) columns and a new high-performance pump that can handle flow rates from 0.05-5 ml/min and up to 600 bar pressure. It also features a new high-performance degasser, autosampler, column compartment and UV and MS detectors. The system can be optimized for highest speed and resolution in both LC/UV and LC/MS applications.

"The Agilent 1200 Series Rapid Resolution system has been designed to deliver the industry's best speed and resolution without dramatically increasing pressure," said Fred Strohmeier, general manager of liquid phase analysis for Agilent's life science and chemical analysis business. "It optimizes performance while minimizing the risks that ultra-high pressure imposes on instrument reliability and longevity as well as the risk of changes in the physical and chemical properties of compounds. In short, it provides customers a truly secure approach to increased lab productivity."

New Agilent ZORBAX 1.8 Micron RRHT Columns

Expanding on the success of Agilent 400 bar Rapid Resolution High Throughput (RRHT) columns, Agilent is introducing extended-range RRHT columns. They permit faster flow rates, increased pressures and higher efficiencies. Columns range from 1 mm to 4.6 mm internal diameter and from 20 to 150 mm length, and come in more than six bonded phases at 5, 3.5 and 1.8 micron particle sizes. These include:

--ZORBAX Eclipse XDB (C8 and C18), a general-purpose bonded phase for use up to 60 degrees C.

--ZORBAX StableBond (C18, C8 and CN), good for low pH and high-temperature applications for faster analysis; temperature resistant to 90 C.

--ZORBAX Extend (C18), for extended high pH, up to pH 11.5. Temperature resistant to 60 C.

The 1200: A Comprehensive Approach to Performance

The Agilent 1200 Series features improvements in design, manufacturing, software and associated services to provide measurable gains in performance, ease of use and uptime. System specifications vary depending on the complete configuration purchased, but all configurations take advantage of several new ease-of-use and reliability improvements, including:

--A new handheld Agilent 1200 Series Instant Pilot for system control, with a color display that is highly intuitive and customizable. It allows customers to instantly monitor system status, set parameters for methods, and run basic diagnostics.

--New Agilent ChemStation and Agilent EZChrom Elite software that provides improved instrument control and faster data analysis, review and retrieval. Customers can now quickly scan through hundreds of chromatograms.

--New data system-independent instrument diagnostics that can reduce maintenance and troubleshooting efforts.

--Enhanced services including a "push for help" feature. With a click of a mouse, instrument configuration details, recent logbook, and user contact information are accurately transmitted over a secure connection to an Agilent customer support center for immediate attention. This reduces user involvement in troubleshooting and maximizes instrument uptime.

Agilent offers more than 900 LC columns for the 1200 Series, ranging from 0.075 to 50 mm internal diameter, 15 to 300 mm length, and 1.8 to 10 micron particle sizes. More than 65 bonded phases are available, plus additional special-application columns.

Availability

The Agilent 1200 HPLC Series will be available for order Feb. 1, 2006, in all configurations. For sales information or a complete list of features and benefits per configuration, please contact your sales representative, the Agilent Customer Call Center (phone numbers by country available online at www.chem.agilent.com/scripts/cag_feedback.asp) or visit Agilent online at www.agilent.com/chem/1200pr.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) is the world's premier measurement company and a technology leader in communications, electronics, life sciences and chemical analysis. The company's 21,000 employees serve customers in more than 110 countries. Agilent had net revenue of $5.1 billion in fiscal 2005. Information about Agilent is available on the Web at www.agilent.com.

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