Santovac^® 5P ULTRA Diffusion Pump Fluid

Chinese

1.2 cs @ 260°C(500°F)

Vapor Pressure: 4x10^-10 torr @ 25°C
Flash Point: 288°C
Auto Ignition Temperature: 590°C (1094°F)

Santovac 5P ULTRA is the same five ring polyphenyl ether (PPE) as its "parent", Santovac 5 except that it has been much more highly distilled to remove the 3 and 4 ring PPE compunds. This extra distillation step is a very expensive, energy intensive process, and therefore the nearly doubling of the price over the original Santovac 5.

Fundamentally, Santovac 5P ULTRA and Santovac 5 have the same identical properties except for its superior backstreaming properties, which means that one can benefit from the more expensive material through a cleaner vacuum system. And with the lower MW ring compounds removed, the resulting fluid exhibits superior resistance to thermal degredation and generally speaking, in most situations, "lasts longer" (and thereby mitigating at least in part the higher initial cost).

Both Santovac 5P ULTRA and Santovac 5 provide an outstanding vacuum with low vapor pressure in electron microscopes and while both exhibit outstanding resistance (relative to other hydrocarbon pump fluids) to oxidation when it is abused, Santovac 5P ULTRA is even more resistant than Santovac 5. For the electron microscope application, such as the accidental exposure of the hot fluid to air, the 5P Ultra is more resistant to cracking and thermal decomposition.

The Santovac 5P Ultra product, because of its lower backstreaming characteristics, can often times result in the same ultimate vacuum without the use of baffles or liquid nitrogen cold fingers or trap, thereby increasing the pumping speed.

When new, Santovac 5P ULTRA is pure PPE. The only elements in the pure PPE base fluid are oxygen, hydrogen and carbon. And therefore, the fluid is a 100% pure PPE. For further information about diffusion pumps and diffusion pump fluids generally, read the article "Inside A Vacuum Diffusion Pump".

However, since it is a hydrocarbon fluid, the molecular species from the fluid, in the presence of the ionizing radiation from the electron beam, will cause polymerization, contributing to the overall contamination of the column. For many users of electron microscopes, another alternative would be to use one of the perfluorocarbon based diffusion pump fluids, such as Fomblin^® or Krytox^®.

For electron microscopes, Santovac 5 is the most widely used diffusion pump fluid, it probably is the very best that can be used for most users, since the product exhibits excellent molecular weight, low reactivity, and outstanding vapor pressure characteristics. But now we are seeing a switch in some laboratories to the newer and more highly refined Santovac 5P ULTRA. If you have been using Santovac 5 in a column instrument previously, then Santovac 5P ULTRA will be "plug in" compatible and you will see no difference in the operation of the microscope except for the benefits of having a cleaner vacuum system.

If you have been using any other diffusion pump fluid, however, before switching, be sure to discuss this with the manufacturer or other agency servicing your column instrument. Not all models necessarily are identical and the same for different markets. So good advice for one market might not be the best advice for another. But in general, for example, for JEOL instruments, any instrument taking Lyon-S^® diffusion pump fluid, could be switched over to Santovac 5 without difficulty, but you could be sure that the fluid charge would last much longer between fluid changes, therefore at any given time the state of the fluid in a given instrument should be better, the vacuum better and the state of cleanliness of the vacuum better.

Use of Santovac 5P ULTRA in GCMS applications:
The same reasons why Santovac 5 is such a good choice for an electron microscope application, the same reasons would apply for GS-MS applications. Presently, the use of Santovac 5P ULTRA is the recommended diffusion pump fluid by a number of the mass spectrometer manufacturers.

Use as an O ring lubricant:
Santovac 5P ULTRA can, at times, be the recommended lubricant for "O" rings. However, in general, for "O" rings, we would normally recommend (see below) the use of Santovac 5GB Vacuum Grease.

Thermal stability:
Santovac 5P ULTRA is thermally stable to approximately 466°C (870°F).

Selection of high vacuum grease:
This is an often times over-looked topic, but if you are using Santovac 5P ULTRA Diffusion Pump Fluid in your vacuum system, then the ultimate in both compatibility and performance will always be to use Santovac 5GB High Vacuum Grease.

Exporting from the USA:
Santovac 5P ULTRA is a "controlled material" in the sense that for shipment to certain countries, an export license is required. This product is classified under Fluids and Lubricating Materials of the Export Administration Regulations, U.S. Department of Commerce; ECCN #: 1C006.b1.

Santovac 5P ULTRA

Size	SPI #	Each		In Stock
18.5 ml	00013-AB	$ 310.55		No
500 ml	00013-RA	2100.00		No
1 gallon	00013-XK	7271.98		No

Storage conditions: Room temperature
Non-hazardous from stand point of shipping