Despite a recent history of major innovation in many areas of the market, the position of mass spectrometry as one of the most powerful analytical techniques available, and the cutting edge applications in which it is used seem to drive the continuation of such a rapid pace of innovation and breakthroughs.

Although the Indian economy has garnered world attention with its importance in the IT and service sectors, the country recently has become far more prominent in industries that are strong sources of demand for analytical instrumentation. Foremost among these is the pharmaceutical industry, as India is now the fourth largest country in terms of production volume.

In continuous flow analysis (CFA), a sample is injected into a flowing carrier solution passing rapidly through small-bore tubing. The sample is mixed with a reagent, which reacts with the sample to develop a color and determine the sample concentration. The use of carefully controlled flow conditions ensures that the color development reaction is reproducible, so that the color measurement need not wait until the reaction has gone to completion.

Compressed gases have become an integral part of the laboratory. For many laboratory scientists, gases like hydrogen and nitrogen are used on a daily basis and are often taken for granted.

Lab Spray Dryers

Mass spectrometry (MS) is one of the most versatile and powerful instrument techniques available today. The market for MS runs the gamut of applications from pharmaceutical research and discovery labs, to military armament, to semiconductor processing, to environmental testing.

The techniques involved in successfully separating and quantifying amino acids vary from instrument to instrument. However, the processes for amino acid analysis are similar, involving hydrolysis, labeling, separation, and detection followed by data analysis.

During the last several years, the GC market has experienced strong growth in part because of new product introductions, growth in the petroleum sector, and increased opportunities in various geographies. To shed light on and determine the many realities and trends of the current GC instruments market, Strategic Directions International conducted a global survey of gas chromatography (GC and GC-MS) users. The survey was designed for individuals who are currently using a wide array of GC instruments and consumables, including aftermarket software, components, and accessories. The data were collected over the phone and by an internet-based survey. When necessary, the internet survey was followed up with direct telephone interviews of the appropriate respondents to further clarify answers.

Solid-phase extraction (SPE) has been available comercially for over twenty years and is still finding new applications. Growth of this technique seems to be largely a function the vendors' capability to provide specific application support, especially in clinical sciences, pharmaceuticals, toxicology, pesticides, and residues analysis.