Interpretation of the New Version of the Pure Water Standard Gb/T 33087-2016 ''Specifications and Test Methods for High Purity Water for Instrumental Analysis''

[Introduction] Recently, the new version of the pure water standard GB/T 33087-2016, "Specifications and Test Methods for High-Purity Water for Instrumental Analysis," was officially released and implemented in May 2017.

Demand for New High-Sensitivity Mass Spectrometry Instruments:

With the upgrading of laboratory equipment, precision analytical instruments such as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC), liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), ion chromatography (IC), inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES), and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) have been widely used in analytical testing laboratories across various industries.

• With strong support from relevant national policies and funding, the analytical testing and inspection industry has developed rapidly. A large number of advanced precision analytical instruments have been rapidly installed in analytical laboratories at all levels across various industries, gradually becoming the mainstay of the analytical testing field.

• However, relying solely on precision instruments cannot solve the problem. It is also necessary to improve important factors such as standard methods, reagents, technical personnel, and operating procedures with the instruments in order to truly enhance the analytical testing capabilities of various laboratories.

• Therefore, comprehensively improving the standards for methods and reagents is a crucial task.

The application of advanced analytical instruments places higher demands on the quality of high-purity water used in experiments. Currently, there are no standards to regulate the use of water for precision analytical instruments.

Water, as the most frequently used tool in laboratories, is often overlooked for its importance.

• Distilled water and deionized water were widely used in various laboratories decades ago. Today, Grade I, II, and III water for instrumental analysis are common classifications in laboratories. However, due to the frequent use of water, its importance is often overlooked.

• Insufficient attention and a lack of awareness about laboratory water have led to a peculiar phenomenon in China: many laboratories use bottled drinking water (such as Wahaha, Watsons, and Robust brands) as laboratory water in instrumental analysis experiments such as high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry.

• Bottled drinking water is not a chemical reagent and lacks reliability and traceability. Using such water poses potentially serious consequences and significant risks. A major reason for this situation is the lag and lack of standards for laboratory water.

Existing standards can no longer meet the needs of advanced instrumental analytical experiments and the trends of modern laboratory quality control and management. Therefore, it is necessary to formulate new high-purity water standards for instrumental analysis that are consistent with practical realities and advanced international standards.

Therefore, the new version of the high-purity water standard GB/T 33087-2016, "Specifications and Test Methods for High-Purity Water for Instrumental Analysis," was officially released in May 2017.

• This standard project is based on the actual situation and trends of domestic laboratory development, deeply analyzes and references advanced domestic and international standards and specifications, and formulates high-purity water standards that meet the needs of precision instrumental analysis.

• The high-purity water referred to in this standard mainly refers to blank water used in instrumental analysis processes.

• It provides a reliable and effective water standard basis for the rapidly developing laboratory analytical techniques.

• It provides technical support and guidance for laboratory high-purity water quality control and management.

Currently, the national standard for laboratory water, GB/T 6682, released in 2008, is the most widely used standard in China. This standard is a modification of ISO 3696, "Water for analytical laboratories—Specifications and test methods." The new pure water standards GB/T 6682-2008 "Specifications and Test Methods for Water Used in Analytical Laboratories" and GB/T 33087-2016 "Specifications and Test Methods for High Purity Water Used in Instrumental Analysis" are a continuation and development of GB/T6682 "Specifications and Test Methods for Water Used in Analytical Laboratories".