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A review article by researchers at the School of Chemistry at Tel Aviv University describes cold electron ionization (EI), discusses its benefits, and demonstrates several unique applications for its use, including cannabinoids analysis, synthetic organic compounds analysis, whole blood analysis for medical diagnostics, isomer distribution analysis for improved fuels and oils, and explosives analysis.

As part of our series on how North Carolina researchers are helping to combat PFAS in the environment, we asked Mei Sun of the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, about her work with the North Carolina PFAS Testing Network, what strategies show the most promise for large-scale environmental cleanup, and how regulations on PFAS are influencing research priorities and mitigation technologies.

While comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC×GC-MS) is a powerful analytical technique, the complexity and volume of data generated pose significant challenges for data processing and interpretation, limiting a broader adoption. To overcome this, a recent paper in Briefings in Bioinformatics presented GcDUO, an open-source software designed specifically for the processing and analysis of this data.

Ribonucleic acid strands consisting of nucleotides important for protein bio-synthesis entering cell wall | Image Credit: © Christoph Burgstedt - stock.adobe.com

Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) has emerged as a promising alternative to traditional ion-pair reversed phase liquid chromatography (IP-RPLC) methods for separating oligonucleotides (ON). This work investigates the application of HILIC to the separation of ON sequence and length variants, duplexes, and single-stranded components.

Scientist moved the vial of sample out from the tray autosampler of the Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometer LC/MS after the analysis was complete. | Image Credit: © S. Singha - stock.adobe.com

The “matrix effect” is one of the sticky details that can make the use of liquid chromatography (LC) for quantitative purposes challenging, even though it is conceptually quite straightforward. In this installment of LC Troubleshooting, Dwight Stoll reviews what is being referred to during talks about “matrix effects”, and discusses some of the potential origins of the phenomenon in practice.

A joint study conducted by the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (Modena, Italy) and the University of Genoa (Genoa, Italy) aimed to optimize a liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method using a zwitterionic phosphorylcholine hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) column for detecting persistent and mobile organic contaminants (PMOCs) in wastewater. LCGC International spoke to researchers Caterina Durante (corresponding author of the piece) and Samuele Pellacani about their method and the results yielded.

Researchers from Stanford University’s School of Medicine and Stanford Health Care report the development of a liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC–HRMS) method for identifying hemoglobin (Hb) variants. The method can effectively separate several pairs of normal and variant Hb subunits with mass shifts of less than 1 Da and accurately identify them in intact-protein and top-down analyses.

Elham Akbari has been named the recipient of Metrohm USA’s 2025 Young Chemist Award for her work with thermal degradation, as a promising solution for breaking per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often referred to as "forever chemicals," into less harmful substances. LCGC International spoke to Akbari about her work prior to her presenting her award-winning research at this week’s Pittcon 2025 meeting.