May 2021

Decomposing animal tissue releases volatile organic compounds (VOCs), of interest in forensic science. We describe the use of GC×GC–qMS/FID retrofitted with a reverse fill/flush (RFF) flow modulator for analyzing these VOCs in a tropical climate.

The limit of detection (LOD) of an analytical method may be defined as the smallest concentration of analyte that has a signal significantly greater than that of a blank sample signal. We explore the sources of experimental uncertainty and variability in LOD determinations.

Recently, the concept of environmental and social corporate governance (ESG) has received greater focus, particularly in the oil and gas industry. Its implementation offers opportunities for analytical chemists to help achieve greater sustainability.

We assess the landscape of new sample preparation instrumentation, supplies, and accessories introduced over the past 12 months.

We present our annual review of new liquid chromatography columns and accessories, introduced between spring 2020 and spring 2021.

Dispersion of analyte peaks outside of chromatography columns can seriously erode the resolution provided by good columns. Here, we focus on the contribution of the sample injection step to the total level of extracolumn dispersion in an LC system.