May 15th 2024
The still relatively new technique has distinct advantages, but a few of those benefits make it incompatible with some of the currently accepted principles of green sample preparation.
LC-MS in Evironmental, High-Throughput, and Other Applications
February 25th 2007Eight presentations on a variety of LC-MS applications were given in Session 170 on this first afternoon at Pittcon. One of the most interesting was session 170-6, "Techniques of LC-MS in Forensics Analysis." The speaker, Michael C. Zumwalt, discussed the variety of LC-MS instrumentation available to meet both qualitative and quantitative needs. Among the interesting applications he discussed were those for detecting drugs of abuse and explosives. Workplace drug testing and forensic toxicology are examples of these applications. LC-MS continues to be a rapidly growing technique, and the ways in which it can be used in forensic analysis are quite varied. Serial measurement systems are used for quantitation, while parallel systems are best for qualitative applications. Serial systems such as single quadrupole and triple quadrupole mass spectrometers are very useful for detecting drugs of abuse in oral fluids. A particular advantage noted by the speaker is the ease of sample collection, which can even be done in the field, for example, by a police officer.
Problems and Solutions of Landmine and Improvised Explosive Devices
February 25th 2007As most of us traveled by air to Chicago this weekend, we all passed through airport security and the various drills like taking off our shoes, removing metal objects and taking the all-important laptop out of its case.
Liquid Chromatography at the Extreme: Ultra-Pressure, High Temperature, and Ultra-Fast
February 25th 2007Pittcon 2007 opened with a bang here in Chicago, albeit a snowy bang. All the liquid falling outside, whether in rain, snow, or ice form, was nothing compared to the liquid chromatography sessions.
Separation Instrumentation Demand
February 20th 2007Separation instrument techniques are among the most widely used technologies in the analytical instrumentation market. It spans the entire industrial and regional marketplace. The lab separations market includes chromatographic techniques like analytical and preparative HPLC, GC, IC, TLC, flash, and low pressure LC.
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.
Modern Techniques for the Extraction of Solid Materials — An Update
February 1st 2007Traditional methods for the sample preparation of insoluble solid materials have represented one of the more time consuming and labour-intensive efforts in analysis. In this instalment of "Sample Prep Perspectives", Ron Majors examines modern sample preparation methods for solids that often involve increased temperature and higher pressure to speed up the extraction process. In addition, modern sample preparation methods have been automated to relieve analysts of the drudgery associated with traditional methods. Here, he reports on automated Soxhlet extraction, supercritical fluid extraction, pressurized fluid extraction–accelerated solvent extraction, and microwave-assisted extraction and updates earlier coverage.
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.
Advanced Topics in Solid-Phase Extraction: Chemistries
January 1st 2007Although the majority of solid-phase extraction (SPE) is performed with conventional bonded silica- and polymeric-phases, difficult and complex samples may require more specialized stationary phases. In this installment of "Sample Prep Perspectives," columnist Ron Majors discusses advanced topics such as multimodal SPE, restricted-access media, molecular imprinted polymers, immunoaffinity extraction phases, and other class- or compound-specific sorbents. These phases provide additional selectivity, and procedures using them can be automated. Representative applications will be presented.
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.
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.
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.
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..
Market Profile: Pharmaceutical Market Demand for Life Science Instrumentation
May 1st 2006Globally, 2005 sales of pharmaceuticals have been estimated at approximately $550 billion. A significant fraction of this amount was due to the top pharmaceutical companies in the world. The top five companies alone were responsible for total revenues of $168 billion, or 30% of the entire market.
Miniaturized Approaches to Conventional Liquid–Liquid Extraction
May 1st 2006Liquid–liquid extraction (LLE) is among the most widely used sample preparation methods. In this month's instalment of "Sample Preparation Perspectives," Ron Majors discusses newer LLE approaches that offer significant advantages over classic methods. The miniaturization of LLE has resulted in solvent and time savings, improved automation possibilities and faster sample preparation. The techniques of single-drop microextraction, extraction in levitated droplets, flow injection-, membrane-based- and solid-supported extractions are reviewed. Often, these techniques use the same immiscible solvent pairs of conventional LLE.