Carboxen® Adsorbents by Supelco/Merck: High-Performance Synthetic Carbon for Purification & Chromatography

As analytical chemistry and industrial purification demand greater selectivity, efficiency, and reliability, Carboxen® Adsorbents by Supelco/Merck provide a robust solution. Engineered with multi-pore, high-purity synthetic carbon, these adsorbents address stubborn challenges in purification, separation, and recovery of molecules—delivering precise results in demanding environments.

Key Benefits of Carboxen® Adsorbents for Modern Purification and Chromatography

• Engineered for efficient purification and separations
  Carboxen^® synthetic carbon adsorbents are highly engineered derivatized resins with a tapered pore structure (from macro to meso to microporous). This design improves kinetic and thermodynamic efficiency in purification, separation, and recovery of molecules in both gas and liquid phases.
• High purity, synthetic carbon source
  Manufactured from highly pure synthetic polymers and activated by physical means, Carboxen^® adsorbents are inherently free of heavy metals and other inorganic content. This level of purity supports demanding analytical and industrial purification workflows where background contamination from the adsorbent must be minimized.
• Tailored surface chemistry for specific targets
  The surface chemistry of these synthetic carbon adsorbents can be customized, including pH adjustment in the range from 2.5 up to 10.5. Individual Carboxen^® products are designed with specific surface characteristics, allowing users to select adsorbents suited for defined purification and recovery tasks such as removal of basic or neutral organic compounds, or work in aqueous and polar solutions.
• Optimized pore design for a wide range of analytes
  Carboxen^® adsorbents can be manufactured with non-porous or multi-porous morphology, including macro-, meso-, and micro-pores. Tapered pore sizing and multi-porous structures support adsorption and desorption of small and large molecules, including volatile organic compounds, hydrocarbons, and other targeted analytes in water, air, soil, serum, and process streams.
• Robust thermal and mechanical stability
  These adsorbents are engineered to withstand high pressure conditions and remain stable at elevated temperatures. Their excellent attrition resistance allows use at high flow rates without undesired backpressure buildup, supporting applications in preparative and process chromatography and bulk-scale purification.
• Spherical particles for efficient packed beds and easy handling
  Carboxen^® particles are spherical to support optimal packed bed efficiency. They are stored as dry beads that flow like a liquid, which facilitates handling, column packing, and incorporation into devices such as air sampling devices, SPE tubes, and purge traps.
• Versatile performance across gas and liquid applications
  Supelco specialty carbon adsorbents, including Carboxen^®, have been successfully used for bulk-scale purification of gas and liquid streams, recovery of synthesized compounds, catalyst support, hydrocarbon vapour recovery, Freon/CFC capture, recovery of PAHs in water analysis, recovery of dissolved metals during manufacturing, and removal of small and large molecule impurities such as host cell proteins, toxic heavy metals, chlorinated metals, APIs, and extractables and leachables.
• Scalable from evaluation to bulk use
  Carboxen^® synthetic carbon adsorbents are available as small samples and sampler kits for evaluation and can be produced in ton quantities. Different mesh sizes and package sizes are available, supporting a path from screening to implementation in industrial-scale purification processes.
• Customization support from experienced specialists
  With more than 40 years of experience in carbon adsorbent research and product development, Supelco can tailor physical specifications such as surface area, porosity, pore diameter, particle size range, and mesh size, and can develop new adsorbents designed to meet specific application needs.
• Proven performance in high-stakes environments
  The unique characteristics and performance of Supelco specialty carbon adsorbents, including Carboxen^®, have warranted their inclusion in experiments on multiple NASA missions and use on the International Space Station. This history underlines their suitability for critical applications in analytical chemistry and industrial purification.

Innovative Features Engineered for Performance

• Engineered multi-modal pore architecture: Carboxen^® synthetic carbon adsorbents feature a tapered pore structure (macropores to mesopores to micropores) designed to improve kinetic and thermodynamic efficiency. Pore morphology can be customized as non-porous or multi-porous, with macro-porous structures available to enhance adsorption of large molecules.
• Spherical particles for efficient packed beds: The particles are produced in a spherical shape, providing optimal packed bed efficiency and easy flowability during handling and use.
• High mechanical strength and attrition resistance: Carboxen^® adsorbents exhibit excellent attrition resistance, enabling operation at high flow rates without undesired backpressure buildup. These mechanical properties, together with their spherical form, suit them to preparative and process chromatography.
• Pressure and temperature stability for demanding conditions: The synthetic carbon adsorbents are developed to withstand pressures up to 16,000 psi and are stable up to 400 °C. This combination of pressure and thermal stability supports their use in high-pressure, high-temperature purification and separation processes.
• Tailorable surface chemistry and pH range: Surface chemistries can be customized for specific target analytes, with pH adjustment possible from 2.5 up to 10.5. This tunability allows Carboxen^® materials to be designed with hydrophilic or hydrophobic character and with acidic, neutral, or basic surfaces for different purification and recovery requirements.
• High purity, synthetic origin, and low inorganic content: These adsorbents are manufactured from highly pure synthetic polymers and activated by physical means rather than chemical activation. They are inherently free of heavy metals and other inorganic content due to their synthetic source, differentiating them from common non-specific carbon black and activated carbon adsorbents.
• Dry bead format that flows like a liquid: Carboxen^® adsorbents are stored as dry beads that flow like a liquid. This physical form facilitates handling, transfer, and column packing, supporting consistent bed formation and operational convenience.
• Designed for scalability and configurability: Production is scalable to ton quantities, with standard mesh sizes such as 20/40, 20/45, and 30/45 available, and smaller particle sizes offered on a small scale. Particle sizes can range from 2 to 1,000 microns, and pore structures can be engineered from non-porous to macro-, meso-, and microporous, enabling alignment with specific process and device formats.
• Robust stability profile: In addition to thermal stability, the synthetic carbon adsorbents offer radiation and pH stability and can be regenerated. This profile supports repeated use and integration into applications where consistent physical and chemical behavior of the adsorbent is required.

Technical Properties of Carboxen® Adsorbents

• Material type
  • Synthetic carbon adsorbents manufactured from highly pure synthetic polymers
  • Activated by physical means (no chemical activation described)
  • Carboxen® products are molecular sieve adsorbents (carbon molecular sieves)
  • Stored as dry beads that flow like a liquid

• Particle size and shape
  • General particle size range for synthetic carbon adsorbents: 2–1,000 microns
  • Spherical particles for packed bed use and flowability
  • Bulk-scale Carboxen® synthetic carbon adsorbents available in mesh sizes:
    • 20/40
    • 20/45
    • 30/45
  • Smaller particle sizes available on a small scale (details available on request)

• Pore structure and surface area
  • Pore types used: macropores, mesopores, and micropores
  • Typical pore size definitions:
    • Macropore: diameter > 500 Å
    • Mesopore: diameter 20–500 Å
    • Micropore: diameter < 20 Å
  • Carboxen® synthetic adsorbents can be:
    • Non-porous
    • Multi-porous with macro-, meso-, and micropores
    • Macro-porous for large molecule access
    • Tapered pore structure (macro- to meso- to microporous) to improve kinetic and thermodynamic efficiency
  • Surface area range for synthetic carbon adsorbents: 1–3,000 m²/g
  • Example bulk Carboxen® product:
    • Carboxen® 563: surface area 500 m²/g
    • Pore composition: 38% micropores / 24% mesopores / 38% macropores

• Surface chemistry and pH
  • Surface chemistry can be customized for specific target analytes
  • Adjustable surface pH range: approximately 2.5 to 10.5
  • Carboxen® 563: surface pH 6.8
  • Carboxen® series examples:
    • Carboxen® 1032: acidic pH
    • Carboxen® 1033: neutral pH
    • Carboxen® 1034: basic and very hydrophilic surface

• Hydrophobicity / hydrophilicity
  • Hydrophobicity scale provided for Carboxen® 563: 1 = hydrophilic, 10 = hydrophobic; Carboxen® 563 has value 7
  • Relative descriptions within the Carboxen® range:
    • Carboxen® 563: slightly hydrophobic
    • Carboxen® 564: similar to Carboxen® 563
    • Carboxen® 569: more hydrophobic than Carboxen® 563 and Carboxen® 564
    • Carboxen® 1005: very hydrophobic
    • Carboxen® 1033: more hydrophilic than Carboxen® 563, 564, and 569
    • Carboxen® 1034: very hydrophilic surface

• Mechanical and physical robustness
  • Developed to withstand pressure up to 16,000 psi for Carboxen® synthetic carbon adsorbents
  • Stable up to 400 °C
  • Thermal, radiation, and pH stability described for synthetic carbon adsorbents
  • Excellent attrition resistance
  • Ball pan hardness (Carboxen® 563): reported qualitatively in source documentation as “Ball Pan Hardness (%)”

• Chemical purity and composition
  • Inherently free of heavy metals and other inorganic content due to synthetic source
  • Manufactured from highly pure synthetic polymers

• Available Carboxen® CMS sample pack sizes and product codes

• Carboxen® 563
  • 10 g: 10263
• Carboxen® 564
  • 10 g: 10264
  • 144 ampules of 290 mg each: 11324-U
• Carboxen® 569
  • 10 g: 10269
  • 500 g: 11048-U
• Carboxen® 572
  • 10 g: 11072-U
• Carboxen® 1005
  • 5 g: 8849-U
• Carboxen® 1032
  • 5 g: 8858-U
• Carboxen® 1033
  • 5 g: 8859-U
• Carboxen® 1034
  • 5 g: 8861-U

• Scalability and format options
  • Scalable production in ton quantities for 20/40, 20/45, or 30/45 mesh sizes
  • Smaller particle sizes available on a small scale
  • Option for different mesh size for an existing adsorbent
  • Possibility to fill containers such as air sampling devices, SPE tubes, and purge traps with specialty carbon adsorbent

Typical Applications and Usage Examples

• Purification and cleanup of complex samples
  • Purification of gases and liquids in bulk-scale manufacturing streams
  • Removal of small and large molecule impurities in both gas and liquid phases
  • Purification of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs)

• Removal of contaminants from industrial and analytical matrices
  • Removal of host cell proteins
  • Removal of toxic heavy metals and chlorinated metals
  • Removal of extractables and leachables
  • Capture and recovery of dissolved metals during manufacturing
  • Freon/CFC capture
  • Hydrocarbon vapour recovery

• Targeted adsorption and desorption of analytes
  • Adsorption and desorption of targeted analytes in water, air, soil, and serum
  • Recovery of PAHs in water analysis
  • Collection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from water and air with Carboxen® 563
  • Collection of VOCs from air with Carboxen® 564
  • Purification of water and gases with Carboxen® 569
  • Purification of air and gases, including trapping small molecules, with Carboxen® 572
  • Purification and removal of basic organic compounds from air and water with Carboxen® 1032
  • Purification and recovery applications in aqueous and polar solutions with Carboxen® 1033
  • Purification and recovery applications using a basic and very hydrophilic surface with Carboxen® 1034

• Chromatography and process-scale separations
  • Preparative and process chromatography requiring high purity, spherical adsorbents with mechanical robustness
  • Use in molecular sieve applications in industrial manufacturing processes
  • Hydrocarbon traps for purification of carrier gases with Carboxen® 1005

• Catalyst support and reaction handling
  • Catalyst support in chemical reactions
  • Use of Carboxen® 572 as a catalyst support where high surface area and pore volume are required
  • Recovery of synthesized compounds from reaction mixtures

• Environmental and air monitoring uses
  • Collection of VOCs from air using Carboxen® 564, Carboxen® 569, and Carboxen® 572
  • Work in high humidity environments using more hydrophobic Carboxen® 569
  • Use in hydrocarbon traps for carrier gas purification with Carboxen® 1005

• Space and mission-critical applications
  • Use of Supelco specialty carbon adsorbents in experiments onboard NASA missions including Voyager 1, Galileo, Cassini-Huygens, and Phoenix
  • Use of Carboxen® synthetic carbon adsorbents on the International Space Station

• Evaluation, method development, and custom solutions
  • Small sample packs of Carboxen® 563, 564, 569, 572, 1005, 1032, 1033, and 1034 for evaluation
  • Use of carbon adsorbent sampler kits to screen multiple specialty carbon adsorbents cost-effectively
  • Integration into finished goods such as air sampling devices, SPE tubes, and purge traps
  • Custom design of new adsorbents or mesh sizes tailored to specific gas or liquid purification and recovery tasks

Comprehensive Range of Carboxen® Adsorbents

• Carboxen® 563: Slightly hydrophobic, highly multi-porous carbon used for collecting volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from both water and air, and for chemical purification.
• Carboxen® 564: Highly multi-porous carbon effective for collecting VOCs from air; similar in character to Carboxen® 563.
• Carboxen® 569: More hydrophobic than Carboxen® 563 and Carboxen® 564; used for purification of water and gases and suitable for work in high humidity environments, with an ability to trap small molecules for purification of air and gases.
• Carboxen® 572: High surface area carbon with a through-pore structure and available pore volume, typically used as a catalyst support.
• Carboxen® 1005: Very hydrophobic carbon with a through-pore structure and high surface area, used in hydrocarbon traps for purification of carrier gases due to its hydrocarbon capturing ability.
• Carboxen® 1032: High surface area adsorbent with large pore volume in the mesoporous region and an acidic pH, designed for purification and removal of basic organic compounds from air and water.
• Carboxen® 1033: Neutral pH adsorbent with moderate surface area similar to Carboxen® 563, Carboxen® 564, and Carboxen® 569, but more hydrophilic in nature; wets better in aqueous and polar solutions for purification and recovery applications.
• Carboxen® 1034: High surface area adsorbent designed to provide a basic and very hydrophilic surface, suitable for purification and recovery applications.

Chemical Express, with over 23 years of expertise, is your authorized distributor for Carboxen® Adsorbents from Merck/Supelco. Purchase these high-performance products directly through Chemical Express and access local technical support for your analytical and purification workflows.