The Column-05-06-2015

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography and time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC–TOF-MS) can be used to detect trace-level fungicides and compounds responsible for undesirable attributes known as “organoleptic faults” in wine. Of particular interest is the analysis of trace-level fungicides, which are difficult to detect using conventional quadrupole GC–MS techniques without resorting to selected ion monitoring mode. 

HPLC 2015 - The 42nd International Symposium on High Performance Liquid Phase Separations and Related Techniques

The biopharmaceutical industry continues to expand in response to a demand for novel biopharmaceuticals. José Paulo Mota from the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FCT-UNL) of Universidade Nova de Lisboa and the Institute of Experimental and Technological Biology (IBET), Portugal, has been working on the development of chromatographic techniques to speed up the purification of biopharmaceuticals, specifically adenoviruses. Bethany Degg of The Column spoke to him about his work.

Markes International (Llantrisant, UK) has been awarded a 2015 Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade decreed by Her Majesty The Queen of Great Britain, on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, David Cameron. The awards are announced each year on the Queen’s birthday, 21 April.

Beer from a 1840s shipwreck in the Baltic Sea has been analyzed by a team of scientists at the VTT Technical Research Centre in Finland. Using a variety of chromatography techniques - including gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and high-performance anion-exchange chromatography (HPAEC) coupled to MS - the team compared the beer with modern-day varieties and found they were not too dissimilar.

Agilent Technologies (California, USA) and Scion Instruments (California, USA) have announced a gas chromatography instrument agreement, which will allow users to operate instruments from both manufacturers in each company’s chromatography data systems.

Exposure to flame retardant additives could be a contributing factor to the occurrence of feline hyperthyroidism (FH) in Swedish cats, according to a new study. The authors also suggest that pet cats can be studied as markers of environmental contamination in the home.

Click the title above to open The Column May 06, 2015 Europe & Asia issue, Volume 11, Number 8, in an interactive PDF format.

Click the title above to open The Column May 06, 2015 North American issue, Volume 11, Number 8, in an interactive PDF format.

Since the founding of LCGC in 1983, we have made it our mission to serve the separation science community by publishing articles with a practical focus on improving chromatographic methods. Over the years, those articles have included many seminal works from leading analytical scientists who have made groundbreaking advances that have benefitted the entire community. This year, we are once again pleased to honour an outstanding chromatographer: Caroline West, the winner of the 2015 Emerging Leader in Chromatography Award. This year, we had the additional opportunity to honour West at Pittcon 2015 in an oral symposium as part of the Pittcon technical programme.