May 13th 2024
In this edition of The LCGC Blog, Katelynn Perrault and James Harynuk discuss the technological needs one faces when setting up a workstation for chromatography data analysis.
Technology Forum: Pittcon 2007
February 20th 2007Each month in our Technology Forum we will feature a discussion between industry experts on various trends and issues in the chromatography field. This month's Technology Forum looks at the topic of Pittcon 2007 and the trends and issues surrounding it. Joining us for this discussion are Tom Ricci with Ricci Communications and LCGC Columnists John Dolan and John Hinshaw.
Ask the Editor: Technical Editor Steve Brown Answers Your Questions!
January 28th 2007Beginning in February, Steve Brown, LCGC technical editor of 18 years, will answer your technical questions. Each month, one question will be selected to appear in this space, so we welcome your submissions. Please send all questions to the attention of "Ask the Editor" at lcgcedit@lcgcmag.com. We look forward to hearing from you.
Gas Chromatography–Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry in Food Analysis
January 1st 2007Gas chromatography (GC) coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS) offers unique solutions for various analytical applications including the analysis of food quality, authenticity and safety markers. This article provides a general overview of TOF-MS basic features, highlighting its advantages and limitations compared with GC using conventional mass analysers. Examples of recent results obtained for selected food contaminants and flavour components are described to illustrate the potential of this recently introduced technique.
Market Profile: Water Analysis
January 1st 2007The environmental market peaked about fifteen years ago when the United States government passed a large body of new environmental laws and strengthened existing ones, dramatically increasing the number of mandated tests. As a result, the analytical instruments market received a boost in new instrument sales. While growth from the environmental market has slowed considerably since, the total market is still quite significant.
Innovations in Food Analysis — Analysis of Peptides, Additives and Flavours
December 2nd 2006The analysis of peptides and additives using a new HPLC innovative column technology, Pathfinder, was shown. For the analysis of flavours in lemon juice GC–MS with a new MS library, FFNSC, with linear retention indices was used.
Determination of Soft Drink Ingredients
December 2nd 2006Soft drink formulas often include preservatives, artificial sweeteners, flavours or caffeine in their list of ingredients. Using the Acclaim OA column, as many as eight common additives may be determined in a single run. Many of these additives are hydrophilic organic acids for which this column was designed. Notably, benzoate and sorbate, which do not resolve on C18 columns at low pH, are fully separated.
Optimizing Column Lifetime of TSK-GEL Size Exclusion Columns
December 2nd 2006Column lifetime is a more and more important issue when developing an analytical method for HPLC. Besides sample treatment, column cleaning and storage, operational parameters of the analytical method will have an influence on column lifetime. This question may not always be addressed early enough in the methods development process.
How Close is Close Enough? Accuracy and Precision
December 1st 2006The accuracy and precision of results in gas chromatography and other analytical techniques are highly dependent upon the sample and its preparation, the instrumentation, accessories and operating conditions, as well as on operator skill and experience. For these reasons, accuracy and precision for a specific methodology can be expected to vary from one laboratory or operator to another. This month, we look at statistical analysis as a diagnostic tool.
Data-Handling Software for a GLP Environment: Development and Validation Requirements
December 1st 2006In a good laboratory practice (GLP) environment, data-handling software cannot be used until it is validated. This even applies to the most simple program that performs calculations or stores data. A detailed documentation of the set-up and the performance of the software - called software validation - is required. The development and validation requirements are described in this article and illustrated with a software for robustness testing (SRT), which guides the user step-by-step through the experimental set-up and interpretation of robustness tests. This software was developed in an Excel (Windows XP) environment and is used as part of method validation in laboratories that require compliance with GLP and 21 CFR Part 11. The software was subjected to software validation regulations and is compliant with electronic records and signature rules (21 CFR Part 11) as it creates, delivers and stores electronic data. The validation tests are based on the computerized system validation (CSV) -..
The Benefits of Including Certified Reference Materials in a Collaborative Trial
December 1st 2006This article assesses the advantages of including certified reference materials in collaborative method validation studies in food analysis. A recently conducted collaborative trial on the determination of acrylamide in bakery and potato products is described to illustrate this.
Pittcon: A Platform for Scientific Innovation Part I: Years 1950-1980
November 30th 2006Since the first Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy was held in 1950, Pittcon, as it is called today, has become a key meeting place where renowned scientists present their pioneering research and developers showcase the latest instruments that make many of those research scientific breakthroughs possible. This two-part article series will present a historical perspective on just a few of the significant scientific advancements that were discussed and demonstrated at Pittcon over the years. Part I will focus on new instruments and techniques that were presented at Pittcon from 1950 to 1980, and Part II will discuss a few of the many notable scientists and their discoveries that have been enabled by advances in mass spectrometry, capillary electrophoresis, and other instrumental techniques since 1980.
Setting Realistic Expectations for GC Optimization
November 1st 2006November 2006. This month, John Hinshaw addresses questions of instrument capabilities and chromatographers' expectations. In subsequent issues, he will discuss adjustment of hardware settings, optimization of column parameters, and data-handling issues. This is the first article in the recently released "GC Connections Resource Guide."
Market Profile: The Global Laboratory Life Science and Analytical Instrument Industry
November 1st 2006The laboratory life science and analytical instrument industry is comprised of a large, diverse group of organizations that manufacture and distribute their products worldwide. However, overall industry sales are concentrated among a small set of companies. Approximately 950 firms are included in the industry, but only about 100 companies have sales above $50 million.
How Close is Close Enough? Accuracy and Precision
September 1st 2006September 2006. The accuracy and precision of results in gas chromatography and other analytical techniques are highly dependent upon the sample and its preparation, the instrumentation, accessories, and operating conditions, as well as on operator skill and experience. For these reasons, accuracy and precision for a specific methodology can be expected to vary from one laboratory or operator to another. This month, we look at statistical analysis as a diagnostic tool.
Analytical Limbo: How Low Can You Go?
September 1st 2006September 2006. In analytical chemistry, the continual quest for enhanced sensitivity and specificity - in gas chromatography (GC), this can be equated to separation power - remain the common goal in the development of new analytical methodologies. Today, GC is still the most widely used method for the analysis of volatile and semivolatile organic compounds. When coupled with the right choice of detector for the specific application, a wide linearity range and low limit of detection (LOD) can be met. For GC analyses, many approaches can be used to achieve greater sensitivity and lower LOD. They can be classified broadly into four categories: improved sampling (sample preparation) strategies; sample introduction methods; improved chromatographic performance; and alternative (selective–sensitive) detection transducers. This article provides an up-to-date review of existing and emerging chromatographic innovations, based upon these four strategies, that will improve sensitivity and detection limits of trace..
Chromatography Market Profile: Analytical Instrumentation for Security Applications
August 1st 2006Analytical technologies have been applied to many problems of the modern world, though usually in the domain of the laboratory or to regulate production on the factory floor. However, modern instrumentation can provide valuable information in many other settings as well. Security applications demand sensitive information, accurate information and fast information. These are precisely the kinds of problems that instrumentation has been solving in the research setting for decades. The application of analytical technology to the security of nations, facilities, and people has become an important segment of the industry.
Gas Chromatography Helps Researchers Explore Pollution of Fish
July 16th 2006Researchers are using a method called gas chromatography, a process by which they will extract fish tissue and identify organic based compounds and pollutants in the tissue, especially flame retardants, of which traces have been found in the breast milk of women.