LCGC Europe-12-01-2008

Technological changes affecting how we access information - both in the depth of knowledge we can access and the speed - leads to some observations about electronic versus print media. First, anything committed to public view must be of high scholarly order, often serving as a prime resource for equations and things we can't or won't remember. Second, once words have been printed, the value of the meaning they impart decreases as new understanding takes shape.

Careful synchronization is essential when performing sample preparation and chromatographic analysis in parallel for optimized productivity. Automated sample preparation requires reliable and compatible hardware combined with integrated software control of the whole analysis process, including LC–MS or GC–MS analysis.

Pittcon 2009 celebrates 60 years of service to the scientific community. Pittcon 2009 will be held from 8–13 March 2009 at McCormick Place South, in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Pittcon is the biggest annual meeting on laboratory science in the world, incorporating a laboratory product exposition, a diverse, high-quality technical programme and invaluable peer-to-peer networking opportunities.

Cytosine (chemical name 4-amino-2-hydroxypyrimidine) is a pyrimidine derivative with a hetereocyclic aromatic ring and two substituents (amine and keto groups) attached and is a polar compound of significant biological and pharmaceutical interest. In response to the intended use of bulk cytosine as a raw material in pharmaceutical manufacturing, a method for the determination of the purity of cytosine was developed.

Electrophoretic techniques, such as sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide (SDS-PAGE) and isoelectric focusing (IEF) gels, have traditionally been part of release testing in the biopharmaceutical industry. However, these slab gel methods are inconvenient and irreproducible because of the staining/destaining steps used in analyte detection, the use of toxic reagents and high intra- and inter-gel effective mobility variability.

Another precaution I recommend is not to shut off the LC system for more than an hour or so if it or the column contains buffer.

Estimating uncertainty has become one of the most important metrological concepts in analytical science over the last 15 years to such an extent that some authors consider a result useless or invalid unless it is accompanied with an uncertainty statement. This article describes how to estimate uncertainty in chromatographic analysis and how laboratories can calculate it using data from the method validation process.