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CCC is an excellent alternative to avoid the problems associated with solid-phase adsorbents, which include irreversible adsorption of sample and the need to replace expensive columns. As a result, CCC is gaining popularity as a purification tool.

Piccaro, Inc. announced an ultra-trace gas analyzer for precisely measuring isotopic CO2, a marker of the type of CO2, and its origin. The instrument is based upon cavity ring down spectroscopy (CRDS) technology, exclusively licensed from Stanford University, Stanford, California and further enhanced at Piccaro.

Father Joseph Michael Levy, Ph.D, passed away suddenly on March 6, 2008. He earned the B.S. and M.S. degrees in chemistry from Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio, and later went on to earn two doctorates, one in organic chemistry and one in analytical chemistry from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Levy worked as an analytical chemist for the Standard Oil Company and was well known in the GC community for his many articles and presentations at national and international meetings.

May Editorial List

LCGC December 2007 BPA Statement

What is centrifugal partition chromatography, and what are its main applications? Steve Brown: Briefly, in centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC) one liquid acts as the stationary phase and a second solvent, containing the analytes, passes through it. Separation is achieved by partition of the solute between the two immiscible solvents comprising the mobile and stationary phases.

Hitachi

Polymer

Polymer

The home user can now have 1 TB of storage at the touch of a button.

This month's installment of "Column Watch" is the first of a two-part series in which columnist Ron Majors examines the trends and highlights in columns and consumables at Pittcon 2008.

Researchers at Swansea University (Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom) are using GC-MS-TD technology to analyze the concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in breath.

The meeting, being held 21–22 May, will review the latest developments in stationary phase technologies for liquid chromatography. It will also include lectures on emerging stationary phase chemistries, specialised functional phases and small particle size packings The event will be of interest to all practitioners of separation science, but in particular those using liquid chromatography for problem solving and method development.

Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, Massachusetts, are designing a tiny sensor that can detect minute quantities of hazardous gases more efficiently and quickly than current devices on the market.

Research Group: Professor Gert Desmet, Transport Modelling & Analytical Separation Science, Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Brussels.

The four eyes approach is a cornerstone of any quality system (GMP, GLP or ISO 17025): a first person performs a task and a second person checks it.

Beta-blockers are basic compounds that contain a secondary amino group in their structure. The amino substituents are typically an isopropyl group and a larger chain with a hydroxyl group in the beta position from the nitrogen atom (Table I). The simultaneous analysis of ?-blockers in biological samples is meaningful, and is made possible by the similarities in their structure. Gas chromatography (GC)–mass spectrometry (MS) has been the most used technique for their identification and quantification (4–6). However, most ?-blockers are nonvolatile and thus require derivatization via a cumbersome and time-consuming process before GC–MS analysis. In recent years, liquid chromatography (LC) coupled with mass spectrometric detection has evolved as the method of choice for drug analysis in the pharmaceutical, clinical, and forensic toxicology areas (4–8). In contrast to GC–MS, LC–MS-MS generally does not require derivatization and offers superior sensitivity. Moreover, due to the high specificity offered by LC–MS-MS, baseline chromatographic resolution often is not required, allowing for fast analysis in high-throughput environments.

The usefulness of liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry–mass spectrometry (LC–MS-MS) methods for the unambiguous identification and quantification of pesticides in complex matrix samples is well known. Triple-quadrupole systems have proven to be useful for this task because of their high specificity in MS-MS mode and their low detection limits. However, working in MS-MS mode makes any MS system blind to other compounds of interest.

Although not currently used in U.S. or European aquaculture, malachite green (MG) is still an effective and inexpensive fungicide that is used in other countries, particularly in Asia. During metabolism, MG reduces to leucomalachite green (LMG) (Figure 1), which has been shown to accumulate in fatty fish tissues. Trace levels of MG and LMG residues continue to be found in fish products. In a 2005 report, MG was found in 18 out of 27 live eel or eel products imported from China to Hong Kong local market and food outlets, resulting in a government recall and destruction of all remaining products (1).

Because it is extremely rapid, biomarker discovery and identification using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS), including both ion-trap and triple-quadrupole LC–MS, is well established. Fractionation of complex samples before LC–MS-MS analysis might be necessary to identify the proteins, greatly increasing the number of analyses required. In this case, there is ongoing debate regarding knowing whether the protein is identified correctly, knowing how much prior fractionation is needed to reduce complexity to the point where low-abundance proteins can be detected reliably, and balancing specificity with sensitivity.

The nanoLC LIT-TOF approach combines multiple capabilities that improve the ability to characterize complex protein mixtures significantly.

Researchers at Swansea University (Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom) are using GCMS-TD technology to analyze the concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in breath.

Agilent Technologies (Palo Alto, California) has been recognized as one of the "Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World" for the fourth consecutive year.

Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in Cambridge, Massachusetts, are designing a tiny sensor that can detect minute quantities of hazardous gases more efficiently and quickly than current devices on the market.

A mass spectrometer from Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. has been chosen by the Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montreal (ICRM) for use in their proteomics research approach that could impact the current understanding of the human proteome.

Polymer Laboratories, now a part of Varian, Inc.

This month, Chromatography Online's Technology Forum looks at the topic of Pittcon and the trends and issues surrounding it. Joining us for this discussion is Michael Swartz of Synomics Pharmaceutical Services, Tom Ricci of Ricci Communications, and Kevin McLaughlin of Shimadzu.