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The LCGC Blog: Avenues of Circumvention and Issues with Cannabis Products: Δ8-THC, THCA Flower, and Forensics Analysis

In this edition of the LCGC Blog, Zacariah Hildenbrand, Melissa Giguere, and Kevin Schug discuss the complexities of cannabis regulations, forensic testing challenges, and the risks of unregulated products in the evolving landscape of cannabis forensics.

Trace Level Elemental Analysis of Metals in Drinking Water by ICP-MS According to Directive (EU) 2020/2184

Revealing the Full Proteoform Landscape with the Enhanced Power of Top-down Mass Spectrometry

Top-down proteomics offers a new window into the true complexity of protein species and promises to complement, rather than replace, traditional bottom-up methods. Here, we explore these developments and what the future might hold.

Emerging Tools for Holistic Evaluation of Analytical Methods

The RGB model, which combines red (analytical performance), green (environmental impact), and blue (practicality), is at the heart of the concept of white analytical chemistry (WAC). While this approach has helped broaden the field’s focus and offered a more balanced evaluation system, analytical science continues to move forward, and with it come new priorities that extend beyond what the RGB framework can fully reflect. This final article of this week's series on WAC curated by Adrián Fuente-Ballesteros of the University of Valladolid (Spain) presents new tools intended to fill that gap.

Glass or Plastic? An HPLC Vial Compatibility Study for Dilute Benzalkonium Chloride (BAK) Solutions

Benzalkonium chloride (BAK) is a common preservative composed of quaternary ammonium compounds with 8–18 carbon alkyl chains, mainly C12, C14, and C16 homologs. Because BAK can adsorb to surfaces, this study highlights the challenges of predicting adsorption behavior and the importance of conducting a vial compatibility assessment early in HPLC method development for dilute solutions of BAK and analytes with similar physicochemical properties.

Glass or Plastic? An HPLC Vial Compatibility Study for Dilute Benzalkonium Chloride (BAK) Solutions

Benzalkonium chloride (BAK) is a common preservative composed of quaternary ammonium compounds with 8–18 carbon alkyl chains, mainly C12, C14, and C16 homologs. Because BAK can adsorb to surfaces, this study highlights the challenges of predicting adsorption behavior and the importance of conducting a vial compatibility assessment early in HPLC method development for dilute solutions of BAK and analytes with similar physicochemical properties.

AstraZeneca Commits $50 Billion to U.S. Manufacturing and R&D Expansion

The company plans to invest billions in a new drug manufacturing hub in Virginia, dedicated to chronic disease treatments, alongside additional facilities in California, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Texas.

Chromium Speciation by IC-ICP-MS

This paper demonstrates a sensitive and reliable method for speciating between toxic hexavalent chromium and non-toxic trivalent chromium in water using IC-ICP-MS.

Do 3D Prints Interfere with Untargeted LC–QTOF-MS Analyses?

An investigation into whether 3D-printed sorbent devices introduce background contaminants in untargeted LC–QTOF-MS analyses.

Advancing Gene Therapy: Enzyme Selection for Effective RNA Oligonucleotide Mapping

New gene therapy modalities, such as CRISPR guide RNA (single guide ribonucleic acid [sgRNA]) and messenger RNA (mRNA), continue to make progress in both primate and first-in-human trials. As this progress builds, the industry remains accountable for characterizing these molecules to meet the requirements of regulatory authorities.

HPLC 2025 Preview: Prioritization Strategies in Non-Target Screening of Environmental Samples by Chromatography with High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry

This article discusses how integrating seven prioritization strategies can enhance compound identification, support environmental risk assessment, and accelerate decision-making.

Accelerating Monoclonal Antibody Quality Control: The Role of LC–MS in Upstream Bioprocessing

This study highlights the promising potential of LC–MS as a powerful tool for mAb quality control within the context of upstream processing.

Do 3D Prints Interfere with Untargeted LC–QTOF-MS Analyses?

An investigation into whether 3D-printed sorbent devices introduce background contaminants in untargeted LC–QTOF-MS analyses.

Illuminating the Dark Multi-Omes: Advancing Molecular Characterization with IM-MS

The concept of dark omics refers to the significant proportion of uncharacterized molecular features within complex biological samples that are often present yet remain inaccessible or unidentified by conventional analytical techniques. This article explores how ion mobility spectrometry integrated with mass spectrometry (IM‑MS) provides critical solutions to longstanding challenges in accessing these dark regions across metabolomics, proteomics, lipidomics, and emerging areas, such as exposomics.

Switching from Helium as a Carrier Gas: Can You Afford Not To?

Switching from helium as a carrier gas is less of a problem than people think. Is it time for you to think about it?

Do 3D Prints Interfere with Untargeted LC–QTOF-MS Analyses?

An investigation into whether 3D-printed sorbent devices introduce background contaminants in untargeted LC–QTOF-MS analyses.

Illuminating the Dark Multi-Omes: Advancing Molecular Characterization with IM-MS

The concept of dark omics refers to the significant proportion of uncharacterized molecular features within complex biological samples that are often present yet remain inaccessible or unidentified by conventional analytical techniques. This article explores how ion mobility spectrometry integrated with mass spectrometry (IM‑MS) provides critical solutions to longstanding challenges in accessing these dark regions across metabolomics, proteomics, lipidomics, and emerging areas, such as exposomics.

Toward Better Detection of PFAS in Consumer Electronic Products: Optimizing the Accuracy of a Total Fluorine Test Method in Materials Containing Polymeric PFAS

The aim of this article is to provide a validated and optimized CIC-based method for accurate measurement of total fluorine in materials with polymeric PFAS content in the low-ppm range, which could be used in the consumer electronics and potentially other industries. This, in turn, can aid companies in tracking and mitigating PFAS ahead of regulations.

PFAS Analysis According to the European Union (EU) Directive 2020/2184

The Benefits of Custom Bonded Silica

Not all chromatography resins are created equal. Off-the-shelf chromatography resins might not always meet the rigorous purification requirements of biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Custom bonded silica from Grace can address a wide range of separation challenges, leading to real performance improvements. Discover more about the latest innovations in chromatography silica from Grace, including VYDAC® and DAVISIL®.

From Peaks to Patterns: AI’s Transformation of Separation Science

This article explores the current applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in chromatography. It anticipates AI’s transformative benefits for the future, looking at the impacts that separation scientists will inevitably see and are already seeing.

MHC-Associated Peptide Proteomics (MAPPs) as a Tool for Assessment of Immunogenicity Risk Potential of Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies

In this study, we applied a high-sensitivity MAPPs workflow using magnetic bead-based HLA-DR/DP/DQ immunoprecipitation and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) to assess the immunogenicity risk of six marketed mAbs across a panel of 10 HLA-typed donors.

Unlocking Discovery Data: Why a Digital Ecosystem Matters for HT-MS

High-throughput mass spectrometry (HT-MS) is becoming a driving force in modern drug discovery. This article explains how a purpose-built digital ecosystem—featuring structured data, automation, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven analytics, and cloud scalability—is essential to translate massive HT-MS data sets into reproducible, actionable decisions.

MHC-Associated Peptide Proteomics (MAPPs) as a Tool for Assessment of Immunogenicity Risk Potential of Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies

In this study, we applied a high-sensitivity MAPPs workflow using magnetic bead-based HLA-DR/DP/DQ immunoprecipitation and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) to assess the immunogenicity risk of six marketed mAbs across a panel of 10 HLA-typed donors.

The Green Component: Assessing the Environmental Impact of Analytical Methods

Green analytical chemistry (GAC) has emerged as a critical discipline focused on minimizing the environmental footprint of analytical methods. This second article in this week's series curated by Adrián Fuente-Ballesteros of the Faculty of Sciences at University of Valladolid (Spain) traces the evolution of GAC through the development of its key greenness assessment metrics.

Advanced Quantitative Proteomics Using IMS-MS

The benefits of IMS-MS for quantitative proteomics, including enhanced sensitivity, improved selectivity, and reduced interference, are discussed.

Datacor and Baytek: One Trusted Partner for Lab and Enterprise Success

Jonathan Richter, President of Baytek, now part of Datacor, explains how these companies are working together to deliver industry-focused LIMS, instrument interfacing, and SQC solutions built specifically for the complex needs of refineries, petrochemical labs, and chemical manufacturers.

Boosting Untargeted Benchtop Volatilomics to the Next Level: Chiral Trapped-Headspace GC-QMS-IMS

The approach describes a new untargeted, trapped-headspace (THS)-GC-QMS-IMS setup for an exhaustive VOC analysis of complex food, beverage, and flavor products, and allows the classification of mango cultivars in combination with chemometric data evaluation.

MHC-Associated Peptide Proteomics (MAPPs) as a Tool for Assessment of Immunogenicity Risk Potential of Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies

In this study, we applied a high-sensitivity MAPPs workflow using magnetic bead-based HLA-DR/DP/DQ immunoprecipitation and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) to assess the immunogenicity risk of six marketed mAbs across a panel of 10 HLA-typed donors.

Multi-Step Preparative LC–MS Workflow for Peptide Purification

This article introduces a multi-step preparative purification workflow for synthetic peptides using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS). The process involves optimizing separation conditions, scaling-up, fractionating, and confirming purity and recovery, using a single LC–MS system. High purity and recovery rates for synthetic peptides such as parathormone (PTH) are achieved. The method allows efficient purification and accurate confirmation of peptide synthesis and is suitable for handling complex preparative purification tasks.