The Column-09-18-2014

The World of Technology & Science 2014 (WOTS) exhibition will be held between 30 September and 3 October 2014 at the Jaarbeurs Exhibition and Conference Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands, organized by two collaborating Dutch associations, FHI (Federation of Technology Branches) and FEDA.

This review discusses recent technological advances in classical heart-cuttting two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC–GC). These developments are then illustrated by application to analysis of important flavour compounds at trace levels in very complex matrices

Incognito believes in the power of creative thinking to solve problems in the analytical laboratory. Do you think creatively?

Scientists in Vietnam have performed high-resolution gas chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC–HRMS) analysis of breast milk to determine the level of dioxin and furan exposure around the Da Nang Agent Orange hotspot in Vietnam. Agent Orange contamination is associated with elevated and persistent levels of dioxins and furans in the environment and are associated with the occurrence of birth defects among other side effects.

Davy Guillarme, a senior lecturer at the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Geneva, University of Lausanne, Switzerland, answers common user questions about HILIC.

Waterpipes have been used to smoke tobacco and other substances for more than four centuries, and are widely believed to be less harmful than cigarettes. In a new study published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC–MS–MS) was performed to show that waterpipe smoke can contain potentially harmful microbial compounds.

A team of scientists based in the Czech Republic has developed a micellular electrokinetic chromatography method coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (MEKC–ESI–MS–MS) that uses salts of perfluorocarboylic acid as the volatile background electrolyte (BGE). The method was applied to the determination of 12 drugs from the class of synthetic cathinones in urine samples. According to the paper published in the Journal of Chromatography A, the BGE used to form micelles did not affect the electron ionization efficiency of MS. (1)

An excerpt from LCGC's e-learning tutorial on critical evaluation of HPLC methods at CHROMacademy.com

Click the title above to open The Column September 18, 2014 North American issue, Volume 10, Number 17, in an interactive PDF format.

Click the title above to open The Column September 18, 2014 Europe & Asia issue, Volume 10, Number 17, in an interactive PDF format.