Articles
The Lead
Improvements in Ion Chromatography Enhance Performance
May 31, 2013 | by Tim Studt, Editorial Director | Comments
Ion chromatography (IC) is an established procedure that allows researchers to separate ions and polar molecules based upon their charge. New IC technologies have increased the resolution and throughput of these instruments, allowing new applications to be serviced.
MS Coupling Enhances Chiral Method Development
May 31, 2013 11:14 am | by by Waters Corp., Milford, Mass. | CommentsChirality plays a critical role in drug efficacy because enantiomers may have vastly different biological, pharmacological and toxicological properties. Smaller particles and the addition of MS detection help speed chiral analysis time and accelerate method development.
Hydrogen Facilitates Faster, Safer GC Runs
May 31, 2013 10:43 am | by John Speranza, Vice President of Global Hydrogen Sales, Proton OnSite, Wallingford, Conn. | CommentsAs helium becomes a rarer resource for gas chromatography practitioners, hydrogen is filling the void as a viable alternative that can offer superior results. Chromatographers are increasingly choosing to switch to hydrogen, a gas easily and inexpensively produced safely through an on-site generator.
Application-Specific Phases Advance GC Testing
May 31, 2013 10:32 am | by Kristen Parnell, Brand Manager for GC Columns and Accessories, Phenomenex, Inc., Torrance, Calif. | CommentsGas chromatography (GC) remains one of the most important and widely used analytical testing techniques performed today across a number of industries. Harvesting the power of application-specific phases, as opposed to general purpose columns, allows both performance and productivity gains.
FTIR Spectroscopy Excels at Gas Analysis
February 8, 2013 12:02 pm | by Hiroshi Ota, Spectroscopy Business Unit, Analytical & Measuring Instruments Division, Shimadzu Scientific Instruments., Columbia, Md. | CommentsFTIR has emerged as a viable alternative to gas chromatography for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of gases. Qualification and quantitation are performed from the wave numbers of the characteristic peaks and peak intensities of the measured gas.
Imaging Analysis Ensures HPLC Column Performance
February 8, 2013 11:53 am | by Particulate Systems, Norcross, Ga. | CommentsIf there was a method for packing material manufacturers to specify shape characteristics and for column manufacturers to inspect incoming materials against those specifications, manufacturing HPLC columns would become more predictable, less costly and exhibit consistent performance. Recent advancements in image analysis could provide the answer.
UHPLC MS/MS Method Rids Water of Contaminants
February 8, 2013 11:41 am | by Tarun Anumol, Sylvain Merel and Shane Snyder, Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, BIO5 Institute, Univ. of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz. | CommentsThis article describes a method for the rapid and sensitive detection of 36 CEC analytes in less than 20 minutes per sample. This UHPLC MS/MS method was developed on an Agilent 1290 Infinity LC system coupled to an Agilent 6460 Triple Quadrupole LCMS system using both positive and negative electrospray ionization.
New C18 Columns Expand Methods Development Toolbox
February 8, 2013 11:22 am | by Derek Jensen, Hamilton Co., and Carol Preisig and Annette Summers, Consultants, GeneCom Group | CommentsThe flexibility to perform separations without pH, temperature or mobile phase restrictions arms chromatographers with powerful tools for tackling tough separations. The right combination of stationary and mobile phase is critical for generating the well-defined, sharp peaks that allow shorter run times.
Top Tips for Sorbent Sampling
February 8, 2013 11:17 am | by Markes International Ltd., United Kingdom | CommentsSampling using sorbent tubes for analysis by thermal desorption gas chromatography is ideal for a wide range of applications, from monitoring industrial air to odor profiling of foods. However, for those new to the area, the options available can make it difficult to decide how best to proceed.
Chiral Separation Gets an MS-Based Upgrade
February 8, 2013 11:11 am | by Waters Corp., Milford, Mass. | CommentsA multitude of performance factors including dense gas CO2, small particle columns and mass spectrometry with UV detection are speeding up chiral separation methods development. Chirality plays a critical role in drug efficacy because enantiomers may have vastly different biological, pharmacological and toxicological properties.
Book Review: Beginner's Guide to SPE
February 8, 2013 11:04 am | by Tim Studt, Editorial Director | CommentsWaters Corp., Milford, Mass., has published an all-new 212-page Beginner's Guide to Solid Phase Extraction (SPE). The book includes chapters on terms and calculations, methods development, troubleshooting, understanding how liquid chromatography makes SPE powerful, benefits of SPE, an extensive glossary of terms and numerous applications.
Water Analysis Method Meets Low Detection Limits
February 8, 2013 11:01 am | by Michelle Misselwitz and Jack Cochran, Restek Corp., Bellefonte, Penn. | CommentsConcurrent solvent recondensation–large volume splitless injection meets the EPA’s low detection limits for water analysis, while also reducing sample preparation time by more than one hour. This injection method produces a pressure surge from the vaporizing solvent, forcing the analytes onto the pre-column.
MEMS-Based Systems Enable Novel Instruments
December 7, 2012 4:27 pm | by Roger Grace, President, Roger Grace Associates | CommentsMEMS–Based Systems Solutions (MBSS) are the integration of MEMS front ends, including sensors, actuators and or structures, with signal processing vis-à-vis ASIC, embedded software in the microprocessor-based ASIC, energy management/storage and network connectivity, either wired or wireless.
Analytical Instruments Drive Pharmaceutical R&D
December 7, 2012 4:11 pm | CommentsThe development and commercialization of new medical drugs is a complex and costly process, but increasing pressure is being placed on drug companies to accelerate the timeline from discovery of new drugs. The pharmaceutical industry continues to demand ever more advanced products aimed at improving health and the quality of modern-day life.
High-Purity Water Meets UHPLC Needs
December 7, 2012 4:06 pm | by Estelle Riche, Anastasia Khvataeva and Stephane Mabic, EMD Millipore, Billerica, Mass., and Jean-Michel Plankeele and Marijn Van Hulle, Waters Corp., Milford, Mass. | CommentsUltra High Performance Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC) is an increasingly popular technique. By using a combination of sub-2 μm particles and instrumentation capable of withstanding high pressures and maintaining peak shape, UHPLC allows for higher sensitivity, resolution and speed than traditional HPLC.
HPLC-ICP-MS Tackles Apple Juice Toxicity
December 7, 2012 3:57 pm | by Mina Tanoshima, Tetsushi Sakai and Ed McCurdy, Agilent Technologies | CommentsThe presence of potentially toxic elements and compounds in foodstuffs is of intense public interest, and so food producers as well as regulators require rapid, reliable screening methods to accurately determine the levels of such contaminants in food and drink.
