This month we interview Petr Vozka from the California State University in Los Angeles, USA, about his work developing methods for analyzing products from plastic waste conversion processes and organic compounds adsorbed on microplastics using two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC).

Vozka, P. Quantitative Analysis of Aliphatic Olefins in Fuels made from Plastic Waste by Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography. Paper presented at the 14th Multidimensional Chromatography Workshop, Liege, Belgium, 2023.

 is an assistant professor of analytical chemistry in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the California State University, Los Angeles, USA. He is also the director of the Complex Chemical Composition Analysis Lab (C

AL). His research focuses on characterizing complex chemical mixtures via state-of-the-art techniques, such as two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC) and high‑resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). His primary focus is on developing methods for analyzing products from plastic waste conversion processes and organic compounds adsorbed on microplastics. He has one patent, six military reports, 25 journal publications, and over 30 research presentations, which include 10 invited lectures and invited presentations. He was invited as a keynote speaker to the 14th Multidimensional Chromatography Workshop in 2023.

Videos

Rising Stars of Separation Science: Petr Vozka

A number of networking sessions are offered this week at Pittcon. Here’s our pick.

On Monday at 2:00 pm, Amber Hupp of the College of the Holy Cross and Katelynn Perrault of Chaminade University of Honolulu will be hosting a networking session titled “Building Your Career as a Separation Scientist” in Room 203A. This networking session will feature a panel of separation scientists that work in various fields. Panelists will share their insights about what it is like to work in separation science, provide tips and tricks for building your resume, and offer advice for early career scientists. This session is sponsored by the ACS Analytical Division Subdivision of Chromatography and Separations Chemistry (SCSC).

On Tuesday at 2:00 pm, James Vergis of the Enabling Technologies Consortium and Lee Nagao of Faegre Drinker Biddle and Reath, LLP, will be hosting a networking session titled, “Extractables and Leachables Safety Information Exchange Analytical Technology Provider and User Forum” in Room 203A. This networking session will bring together analytical technology providers and industry members to discuss the current extractables and leachables landscape and collaboration opportunities. Topics such as the current and upcoming regulatory guidance, data sharing, and leachables risk management will be discussed.

On Tuesday at 2:00 pm, Michael Wleklinski of Merck will be hosting a networking session titled, “The Impact of Automation and AI in the Pharmaceutical R&D Laboratory” in Room 202A. This networking session will address how automation and new developments in artificial intelligence can efficiently impact drug candidate progression by using experimental data. Part of this session will also address adopting artificial intelligence technologies into the laboratory, and what challenges and successes attendees have had in doing so.

On Wednesday at 10:30 am, Perry Wang of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be hosting a networking session titled, “How to Validate LOQ (limit of quantitation) and Estimate LOD (Limit of Detection)” in Room 203A. This networking session will discuss several terms in the analytical field, including sensitivity, limit of detection, and limit of quantification, with the hope that the discussion will help attendees differentiate these terms better and apply them effectively in their R&D work.

On Wednesday at 10:30 am, Diana Hoover of Seton Hill University will be hosting a networking session titled, “Training the Next Generation of Analytical Chemists: How Many Titrations Do They Really Need?” in Room 202B. This networking session will bring together representatives from undergraduate academic institutions and a variety of industries to answer the most pressing questions related to preparing the next generation of students for the chemical world in which they are destined to work.

Events

A number of networking sessions are offered at Pittcon this year, which will take place March 18–22. Here’s our top picks.

Five Pittcon Networking Sessions We Recommend

Aaron Acevedo is an assistant editor for LCGC and Spectroscopy at MJH Life Sciences.

The Chromatography Forum of Delaware Valley Dal Nogare Award is dedicated to recognizing contributions to the theory and application of chromatographic science. Each awardee has made great contributions to further understanding the chromatographic process. For 2023, Luis A. Colón was recognized for his contributions to the field.

Colón is the A. Conger Goodyear Chair Professor of Chemistry at University at Buffalo (SUNY). He received his B.Sc. degree from the University of Puerto Rico in Cayey and his PhD in analytical chemistry from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, and he was also a Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University. Colón’s research focuses on the development and study of materials for use in separation science and chemical analysis, with particular attention to chromatographic media for liquid-phase separations and the development of new strategies to separate and analyze complex chemical or biochemical sample mixtures. He also pushes for diversity in graduate education, and has mentored more than 50 graduate students.

Colón has received several awards for his work, including, among others, the NSF Special Creativity Award, the Benedetti-Pichler Award from the Microchemical Society, the Jacob F. Schoellkopf Medal (ACS-WNY), and the EAS Outstanding Achievements in Separation Science Award. He is Fellow of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS), and the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC).

This award symposium will be hosted by Mary Ellen McNally of FMC, with speakers including Colón, Apryll Stalcup of Dublin City University, Stephen G. Weber of the University of Pittsburgh, Robert Kennedy of the University of Michigan, and Susan Olesik of The Ohio State University. Seminar topics will address different types of liquid chromatography, electroosmotic perfusion, and mass spectrometry.

The symposium was held Monday, March 20, starting at 8:30 am. Pittcon 2023 took place from March 18–22.

Articles

Luis A. Colón is 2023's recipient of the Chromatography Forum of Delaware Valley Dal Nogare Award, which recognizes contributions to chromatographic science. The symposium took place at Pittcon 2023, which was held from March 18–22.

Luis A. Colón Named 2023 Chromatography Forum of Delaware Valley Dal Nogare Award Recipient

Every year, the ACS Analytical Division Subdivision of Chromatography and Separations Chemistry (SCSC) gives out the Satinder Ahuja Award for Young Investigators in Separation Science. Intended to recognize and encourage young analytical scientists’ advances in analytical chemistry, it shines a light on the next generation of scientists. For 2023, the award was given to Emanuela Gionfriddo of the University of Toledo.

Gionfriddo received her PhD in analytical chemistry in 2013 from the University of Calabria, and carried out postdoctoral studies with Prof. Janusz Pawliszyn at the University of Waterloo in Canada. The focus of her work is creating green extraction methodologies to analyze complex biological and environmental samples. Gionfriddo has also been recognized with a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, and she is the 2023 winner of the 

LCGC Emerging Leader in Chromatography Award

The award symposium was hosted by Amber Hupp of the College of the Holy Cross, with speakers including Gionfriddo, Jared L. Anderson of Iowa State University, Susan V. Olesik of The Ohio State University, Jon R. Kirchhoff of the University of Toledo, and Pawliszyn of the University of Waterloo. The award symposium’s seminars had a focus on cutting edge separation approaches for chromatography and analytical extraction of small molecules, nucleic acids and proteins in complex samples, with emphasis on approaches that allow for in vivo and in situ analysis and point of care diagnostic solutions.

This award symposium took place Sunday, March 19, starting at 1:30 pm, with Pittcon itself being held from March 18–22.

Emanuela Gionfriddo received the Satinder Ahuja Award for Young Investigators in Separation Science, which recognizes the next generation of scientists making advances in analytical chemistry. The ceremony took place at Pittcon 2023, which was held from March 18–22.

Emanuela Gionfriddo to Receive ACS Analytical Division Satinder Ahuja Award for Young Investigators in Separation Science

Pittcon is home to many original awards, honoring prominent figures in the scientific community and their work. The Pittcon Heritage Award is one example, honoring entrepreneurial visionaries who have shaped the instrumentation and laboratory supplies community, transforming the entire scientific community in the process. This year, Pittcon has chosen to honor Fasha Mahjoor.

Mahjoor is an architect, entrepreneur and philanthropist, who founded and became the CEO of Phenomenex and as well as of Phenova and InventX, two Phenomenex companies. Despite having no background in chemistry, Mahjoor instilled cultures of innovation in his companies that eventually made them leading companies in the chromatography world through research and development in manufacturing and delivering products and customer service to the highest standard of quality. Mahjoor’s leadership transformed these companies into major successes, which grew to have subsidiaries in 16 countries and 75 distributors and partners around the world.

After 34 years, Mahjoor sold his companies to Danaher Corporation in 2016 and founded Neoteryx, LLC, a company focusing on the microsampling of biological fluids, mainly blood. In December 2021, Mahjoor sold Neoteryx to Trajan Scientific and Medical.

Mahjoor has been a member of the board of directors for the American Red Cross, a board member of PharmaFluidics, a member of the board of trustees for the Outward Bound Trust, and an honorary patron of the Royal Grammar School in the United Kingdom. In 2013 he was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, one of the most prestigious awards in the United States, placing his name in the Library of Congress alongside U.S. presidents and Nobel Prize winners.

Early in 2022, Mahjoor became the largest investor in a men’s wellness startup, Hone Health, and currently sits on its board. In July 2022, Mahjoor received an Honorary Doctorate of Science from Manchester Metropolitan University for his “major contribution to the analytical sciences and support for a wide range of charitable causes.”

The award will be presented to Mahjoor on Sunday, March 19, at 4:45 pm. Pittcon 2023 will take place from March 18–22, with registration available 

Fasha Mahjoor will receive the 2023 Pittcon Heritage Award, which honors prominent figures in the scientific community. Pittcon 2023 will take place from March 18–22 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Fasha Mahjoor Announced as 2023 Pittcon Heritage Award Recipient

The German Chemical Society has officially announced the 51st International Symposium on High Performance Liquid Phase Separations and Related Techniques, also known as HPLC 2023 will be taking place in Düsseldorf, Germany from June 18–22, 2023.

The HPLC symposium series is known as the world leading conference on liquid phase separations and related technologies. Its program covers all aspects of separation sciences in liquid and supercritical fluid phases as well as hyphenation with advanced detection technologies, in particular mass spectrometry (MS). The program will span from fundamentals and theory of chromatographic separations and detection principles, over methodological and technological advances including separation materials, column technologies and instruments, to applications in various fields and quality assurance aspects. The symposium will feature workshops and tutorials, plenary, and keynote lectures from the leading scientists in the field. HPLC 2023 will have a big exhibition and vendor seminars in which attendees can see the latest innovations from the leading vendors in the field.

​To learn more about HPLC 2023 and register, click here: 

The German Chemical Society has officially announced the 51st International Symposium on High Performance Liquid Phase Separations and Related Techniques, also known as HPLC 2023, will be taking place in Düsseldorf, Germany, from June 18–22, 2023.

HPLC Dusseldorf 2023

Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC

GC) is becoming increasingly popular but is still not used as commonly as it could be. That likely means that the technique is still not widely understood. This article is intended to begin demystifying GC

GC by presenting a simple explanation of how it works and its major benefits.

I recently mentioned to a colleague that I have been doing research using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC) since 2012. As 2023 arrives, this makes my love affair with the technique go back more than 10 years, which feels somehow significant. Time flies when you’re having fun, right? I was actually captivated by the technique earlier than that, starting in 2011 when I attended the Multidimensional Chromatography Workshop in Toronto, Canada. In my early days using the technique, I truly thought to myself “Wow, this is going to be something that changes the game!” Honestly, I’m not sure what game I meant at the time, but I suppose it was the recognition that measurement science needed a really good nontargeted tool to screen complex samples.

A lot has changed with respect to GC×GC since I began using it. A large number of commercial options now exist, both in terms of instrument manufacturers and the hardware choices each manufacturer provides. Software for handling GC×GC data is improving significantly every year. The technique is emerging in many new research applications. As a result, awareness has also grown. If you are not using GC×GC, you may have heard about this technique before—maybe in a conference talk, in a magazine article, or in a journal publication. Undergraduate students across the United States and Canada are even starting to be introduced to it in upper‑level chemistry curricula, from what I have gathered from some informal surveys and conference discussions.

Despite the increase in GC×GC in the separation science and education communities, there are still many applications for which I wonder why GC×GC has not yet become common. Lately, my gut is telling me that we need to find more ways to “demystify” the technique. We need to be better communicators. We have to find a way to demonstrate when exactly GC×GC is going to be powerful vs. when not to use it. Often when I am teaching analytical chemistry, I refer to this as “knowing what the right tool is in your toolbox”. In this blog entry, I hope to begin demystifying GC×GC by presenting my own simple explanation of how it works and its major benefits.

To understand GC×GC, one has to have a solid foundation in one-dimensional GC (1D‑GC). In short, the main principles of 1D-GC are described below; the steps correspond to the numbers in Figure 1.

1. Sample is introduced at the inlet, which is held at a high temperature. Carrier gas (usually helium, hydrogen, or nitrogen) is used to sweep the injected vaporized sample onto the column.

2. The analytes from the sample travel through the column, which is coated with a stationary phase. Depending on the analyte’s affinity for the stationary phase (related to its chemical structure and how it likes to interact with the stationary phase), the analytes will move through the column at different rates and be separated from one another.

3. The column is housed in an oven, which is often operated with a temperature ramp, meaning that the oven temperature increases over the course of the GC run.

4. Analytes ideally arrive at the detector one by one, after they are separated by the column. The detector is able to read these eluted compounds and generate a chromatogram in which retention time is represented on the 

-axis and detector response is represented on the 

-axis. Peaks represent individual analytes from the sample.

However, the chromatogram shown in Figure 1 is often unrealistic for complex samples. Typically with complex mixtures of hundreds or thousands of compounds, analytes do not actually arrive at the detector one by one. Coelutions can occur, making it challenging for the detector to recognize which signal is related to which analyte. In the case of mass spectrometry detection, sometimes deconvolution can be used to resolve simple coelutions of two or three compounds; however, if you have five, six, seven compounds (or more) that are coeluted, deconvolution tools tend to fall short of resolving analyte peaks. If you are using a single channel detector such as a flame ionization detector, you don’t even have access to deconvolution tools. This is where the value of GC×GC comes in. In the simplest possible terms, GC×GC allows more space to separate peaks from one another for samples that are much more complex and challenging to separate.

In GC×GC, most of the system components are the same as in 1D-GC, with the exception of two additional components—a modulator and secondary column. The process occurs as follows (Figure 2):

1. Sample is introduced at the inlet, which is held at a high temperature. Carrier gas sweeps the injected vaporized sample onto the column.

2. The analytes from the sample travel through the primary column, which is coated with a stationary phase. Depending on the analyte’s affinity for the stationary phase, the analytes will move through the column at different rates and start to separate from one another.

4. The modulator collects a small portion of effluent from the primary column (such as for 3 s) using a trapping mechanism based on thermal or flow regulation. This happens repeatedly during the entire run, sending a short plug of effluent onto the secondary column over and over.

5. Each small plug of effluent is separated in a rapid separation on the secondary column before the next plug is injected by the modulator. The secondary column has a different stationary phase and thus analytes will partition based on a retention mechanism that is different from that of the primary column. Sometimes, this secondary column is housed in a secondary oven with independent control to induce a temperature offset to enable this separation to occur more efficiently.

6. Analytes arrive at the detector at the end of the secondary column and are plotted in a contour plot, with the first-dimension retention time on the 

-axis, the second dimension retention time on the

-axis, and detector response represented with colour on the 

-axis. Each “blob” or “spot” on the contour plot represents an analyte.

The contour plots generated using GC×GC provide much more space for analytes to be separated because they can be separated on two dimensions on the plot. Although the general elution order in Figure 1 is similar to that in Figure 2, the actual space between each compound is increased across the plot. Although these figures represent a theoretical separation and are not based on real data, they demonstrate how some compounds (such as the green star and purple diamond) may be much easier to quantify if they are physically resolved and baseline separation is achieved between signals. This is a simple example with only five compounds; however, you can imagine a separation involving hundreds of compounds would have much more exaggerated improvements in separation when comparing 1D-GC and GC×GC results.

Some of the “brag-worthy” benefits of GC×GC include the increase in peak capacity achieved (typically about 10× higher magnitude) and increased sensitivity. Increased sensitivity can come from focusing effects from thermal modulators or the separation of signal from background noise of the system, or both. In addition, due to the fact that two independent separation mechanisms are used, analytes are separated in two-dimensional space based on structural similarity. This effect has been dubbed with a few different names, including “structured chromatograms”, “ordered chromatograms”, or even the “roof tile effect”. Essentially, compounds with similar functional groups will be eluted in a similar region of the plot and visual organization of them can be noticed based on their molecular weight or number of carbons. This can be beneficial especially when using a detector other than a mass spectrometer, such that structural information can be inferred from the plot even without highly specific detectors.

In Figure 3, these phenomena are observed on theoretical plots.

1. Figure 3(a) demonstrates the use of the chromatographic space with an irregular polygon. The more space used, the more orthogonal the separation is considered to be. Increasing the orthogonality of the separation may be desirable, or it may not be necessary, depending on the analysis goal. Compounds that are eluted in the same vertical plane would typically have been coeluted in 1D-GC.

2. Figure 3(b) demonstrates the concept of a structured chromatogram. Using a nonpolar × polar column configuration, the row along the bottom would usually represent an 

‑alkane series in increasing order of carbon number from left to right.

3. Figure 3(c) demonstrates how chemical signal can be chromatographically separated from column bleed regions, increasing the overall detectability as a result of improved signal-to-noise ratio.

It goes without saying that I love GC×GC. This technique is now well-established, and we are starting to see it make waves in industry settings. Given that it is becoming more popular in industry, students should be aware of it, so I hope that we will see GC×GC emerge into more classroom teaching within higher education. I also hope that by communicating information about the utility of GC×GC, users will think critically about whether 1D- or 2D-GC is the right tool in their toolbox for any given application. When it comes to the real utility of GC×GC, in my opinion its power is best wielded when we want to:

comprehensively discover all analytes in a complex sample;

separate target analytes from a complex background;

separate mixtures of compounds in a wide range of chemical classes;

target compounds in complex mixtures that have a high dynamic range.

Being involved in the promotion of multidimensional chromatography as a valuable tool within our society has been a highlight of my career thus far, and something I don’t plan to stop being involved in any time soon. I encourage you to contact me if you want to discuss whether GC×GC is right for your application!

The Multidimensional Chromatography Workshop is held annually and helps new users of multidimensional separations get familiar with techniques and current research. This year’s conference was held in Liege, Belgium, 30 January–1 February 2023. If you want to view highlights from the meeting, please visit www.multidimensionalchromatography.com for more details.

is an associate professor of forensic sciences and chemistry at Chaminade University of Honolulu, Hawaii. She specializes in the application of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography for odour analysis applications, and mentors numerous undergraduate researchers as part of her integrated teaching and research programme. Her current interests include odour production from post-mortem microbes, development of GC×GC data processing workflows for dual-channel detection, promoting the adoption of GC×GC in the forensic sciences, and establishing a GC×GC curriculum to be taught in undergraduate chemistry classes.

This article is intended to begin demystifying GC×GC by presenting a simple explanation of how it works and its major benefits.

GC×GC…Why Bother?

Agilent Technologies and Plasmion have established a marketing collaboration for the joint marketing of the Agilent Ultivo triple‑quadrupole liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) and LC/MSD iQ single‑quadrupole LC–MS instruments and the Sicrit ion source made by Plasmion.

Agilent Technologies (Santa Clara, California, USA) and Plasmion (Augsburg, Germany) have established a marketing collaboration for the joint marketing of the Agilent Ultivo triple‑quadrupole liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) and LC/MSD iQ single‑quadrupole LC–MS instruments and the Sicrit ion source made by Plasmion.

Plasmion has developed an ionization technology, called

, which can interface with these Agilent instruments using a standard mounting bracket.

“I am glad to see that our technology and products are recognized by such a strong partner like Agilent. The combination of the Sicrit ionization technology with Agilent mass spectrometers enables customers from lab and research to boost their efficiency, flexibility, and overall performance,” said Dr. Thomas Wolf, CEO of Plasmion.

Through the agreement, the companies will market the combination of the instruments and ion source for nontraditional applications, such as the detection of volatile analytes without chromatography, in a direct mass spectrometry (MS) approach.

Agilent Technologies and Plasmion Collaborate

Knauer has announced its gender pay gap across the company, and caused a small commotion.

Knauer (Berlin, Germany) has announced its gender pay gap across the company, and caused a small commotion. According to the latest figures from the company, the wage gap has not only disappeared but the women in the company now earn on average 1.36% more than their male counterparts.

Managing director Alexandra Knauer said, “This is the smallest unadjusted gender pay gap we have ever had in the company. When we calculated it last year, our women still earned 2.2% less than the men. It is clear that this figure will always fluctuate, as it also depends on the gender distribution among skilled workers and management positions. Our guideline is the zero mark, and we are closer to it than ever.”

Equal opportunity officer at Knauer, Katharina Pohl, added: “We are proud that we have one of the smallest gender pay gaps in Germany. At the same time, we know that there is always room for improvement. We will continue to work to ensure fair pay and equal opportunities for women and men and also people of different backgrounds.”

This is in stark reflection to women in Germany, who still earn an average of 18 percent less than men for the same work. Equal Pay Day is a symbolic day to raise awareness of the difference in earnings between women and men. If the current 18 percent is converted into days, women work for 66 days from the beginning of the year—that is, until 7 March 2023—unpaid.

Knauer has announced its gender pay gap across the company, and caused a small commotion. 

Knauer Announce Gender Pay Gap Surprise

ANAKON 2023 will be held in Vienna, Austria, from 11–14 April 2023. Here’s a glimpse of what attendees can look forwards to.

After a hiatus of four years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ANAKON conference series is back in 2023! The ANAKON conferences are the flagship events of the German, Swiss, and Austrian analytical chemistry communities and are jointly organized every other year by the Fachgruppe Analytische Chemie of the German Chemical Society (GDCh), the Division Analytical Sciences of the Swiss Chemical Society, and the Austrian Society of Analytical Chemistry (ASAC) within the Austrian Chemical Society (GÖCh). ANAKON 2023 will be organized in Vienna, Austria, from 11–14 April 2023 by the Conference Chairs Martina Marchetti-Deschmann, Erwin Rosenberg, and Victor U. Weiss at TU Wien. The conference venue is located right in the centre of Vienna, next to many of the city’s landmark historical sights. Spacious and well‑equipped lecture theatres and ample space for a company exhibition and poster displays guarantee vivid interaction of the participants during breaks and social events.

ANAKON 2023 is a conference open to all fields of analytical chemistry. It is intended to showcase new developments in instrumentation and analytical methodology, as well as important novel applications. A great variety of topics will be addressed at this conference, including—but not limited to—separation sciences, mass spectrometry (including ion mobility separation), miniaturization, microfluidics, imaging and lab‑on‑a‑chip technologies, sample preparation, sensors, surface analysis, spectroscopy from the macro- to the nanoscale, and hyphenated techniques for more comprehensive analysis. The application of the above‑mentioned methods to the fields of bio- and clinical analysis, environmental analysis, and food analysis, and the application of analytical techniques in the determination of micro- and nanoplastics or in the field of cultural heritage science will be highlighted. In addition, ANAKON 2023 will also host the Austrian MassSpec Forum. Besides fundamental studies, many presentations at this embedded event will cover the omics field, showing the importance of combining separation techniques with mass spectrometry to dig deep into very complex samples.

The scientific programme will boast plenary as well as keynote lectures in which the state-of-the-art and innovative applications of analytical techniques will be presented by prominent speakers. Each keynote lecture opens a session in which contributed lectures will present further facets of the topic addressed by the headline speaker. The scientific programme of the conference will be entirely in English.

A particular highlight of the conference programme will be the Pregl‑Award Session, during which the Fritz-Pregl Medal will be awarded; this is one of the most prestigious awards presented by the Austrian Society of Analytical Chemistry. This Pregl Session will also be organized to honour the 80th birthday of Wolfgang Lindner (University of Vienna)—an earlier recipient of the Fritz Pregl Medal. In addition to the designated Pregl Medal awardee of 2023, several other earlier recipients of the Pregl Medal will give keynote presentations at this session.

Selected presenters of poster contributions will have the chance to participate in the “science slam” in which they can present their poster in the form of a flash presentation. The best presentations will be awarded with poster prizes.

The scientific programme will be complemented by a delightful social programme throughout the conference and by a company exhibition that is located within the same space as the poster sessions and the coffee breaks.

ANAKON 2023  Event Preview

An examination of the new high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), mass spectrometry (MS), chromatography data systems (CDS), and related products that were introduced over the last year.

HPLC, MS, and CDS: The New Products to Watch—from Pittcon and Beyond

We assess the landscape of new gas chromatography (GC) instrumentation, supplies, and accessories introduced over the past 12 months.

From Pittcon 2023 and Beyond: The Gas Chromatography Products to Watch This Year 

The monitoring of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) into food is an important environmental and health concern. Raquel Sendón García, PhD, is a Faculty Member in the Department of Analytical Chemistry of Nutrition and Food Science, and a Faculty of Pharmacy member at the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. She has been performing research on food contamination and the presence of potentially harmful chemicals in foods for some time. We recently spoke to her about her work using GC–MS and other analytical techniques to analyze PFAS migration into food from packaging materials.

Analyzing PFAS Migration into Food From Packaging Materials: An Interview With Raquel Sendón García

Many new HPLC and MS products were launched in 2022–2023. This conference coverage article discusses several of these new products, including their salient features, benefits, and technical specifications.

Reflections from Pittcon 2023: A Look at HPLC and MS New Product Introductions from 2022–2023

A general discussion of the megatrends of separation science equipment (both high performance liquid chromatography [HPLC] and mass spectrometry [MS]) and their applications in recent years is presented.