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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.1 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.

Merck KGaA (Darmstadt, Germany) has announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Sigma-Aldrich (Kansas City, Missouri, USA) for approximately $17 billion (€13.1 billion).

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.

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.

Most of us who have used UV detection for HPLC analyses consider them very straightforward and find they produce fit for purpose data whenever we need them to.

Saliva is becoming ever more commonly used in drug testing over urine or blood samples because of its ease of collection. As such, existing testing methods are being adapted for application to accommodate a change in sample matrix. In a new study published in the Journal of Chromatography A, scientists from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (Maryland, USA) and the University of Maryland Baltimore (Maryland, USA) present the use of precolumn derivatization using N(?)-(2,4-dinitro-5-fluorophenyl)-l-alaninamide (Marfey?s reagent) prior to liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) analysis for the quantitation of chiral amphetamines in plasma and saliva.1

Click here to view the complete E-Separation Solutions newsletter from September 11, 2014.

The LCGC Europe news update from September 11 2014.

Gas Chromatography with Vacuum Ultraviolet Absorption Detection

LCGC Blogger Tony Taylor provides his impartial guide to liner selection that is representative of the considerations in modern capillary gas chromatography (GC).

This article describes a simple, more convenient method than traditional solid-phase extraction (SPE)-based methods for highly sensitive PPCP detection using triple quadrupole liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS–MS).

Ultrahigh-pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) columns are used in peptide mapping to improve the resolution of highly complex peptide mixtures. It is commonly assumed that small particle columns increase performance, but this is not always the case. This study presents a comparison of peak count, column length, and resolution between core–shell and fully porous UHPLC columns.

Waters Corporation and PSS GmbH have announced the return of the International GPC/SEC Symposium to be held at The Westin Grand Frankfurt Hotel in Frankfurt, Germany, on 30 September–2 October 2014.

A team of scientists from the University of Muenster and the University of Siegen in Germany has demonstrated the use of low temperature plasma desorption/ionization orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (LTP–Orbitrap–HR–MS) for the analysis of pesticide residues in fruit.

The LCGC Europe news update from September 4 2014.

Click here to view the complete E-Separation Solutions newsletter from September 4, 2014.

Click the title above to open The Column September 08, 2014 North American issue, Volume 10, Number 16, in an interactive PDF format.

Click the title above to open The Column September 04, 2014 Europe & Asia issue, Volume 10, Number 16, in an interactive PDF format.

Split/splitless injectors typically vaporize a sample dissolved in a suitable organic solvent under increased temperature. The sample vapors are entrained into the carrier gas flow inside a "liner" or "sleeve" within the inlet and from there pass into the column or out of the inlet via the "split" line/valve.

Edible oils and fats are complex mixtures of compounds. This article describes the role of normal-phase liquid chromatography as a generic sample pretreatment tool prior to detailed gas chromatography (GC) analysis.

Advances in nano-ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (nUHPLC) and micro–UHPLC (?UHPLC) are described and evaluated, with reference to the analysis of veterinary drugs and steroids in porcine meat and urine, respectively.