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SFC 2018, the 12th annual instalment in this series, will take place on 17–19 October 2018, in Strasbourg, France, at the Palace of Music and Congress.

Biological and health research often involves the analysis of highly complex classes of similar compounds that are difficult to distinguish. Analytical methods that can distinguish between similar forms give research­ers more power, while methods that can separate related classes in a single run save time. Guowang Xu, the Director of the CAS Key Laboratory of Separation Sci­ence for Analytical Chemistry at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has been developing methods that can do both, and using those approaches to advance research on a variety of compounds, such as acyl-coenzyme A, acylcarnitines, and a wide range of metabolites and lipids. He recently spoke to us about some of this work.

Click the title above to open the August 2018 issue of the Annual Industry Trends & Directory in an interactive PDF format.

The tutorial sessions at HPLC 2018 are part of the conference’s educational mission. The sessions consist of presentations given by experts on various topics, with more background provided than might be presented in a typical 20-minute talk.

This Monday afternoon session, which runs from 4:30 to 5:55 pm, will be kicked off by keynote lecturer Attila Felinger of the University of Pécs, in Hungary. Felinger will talk about reversed-flow liquid chromatography.

This afternoon session begins at 1:30 p.m. with a keynote lecture titled “In-vivo SPME with Matrix Compatible Coatings Coupled to LC–MS and Directly to MS,” presented by Janusz Pawliszyn of the University of Waterloo (Waterloo, Canada).

This morning session, which begins at 11:15 a.m., kicks off with a talk by Luis Colon of the State University of New York at Buffalo, on aminophenyl-derived phases on superficially porous silica particles.

This morning session, which is chaired by X. Chris Lee of the University of Alberta, Canada, and starts at 8:30 a.m., will explore advances in high performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry for various aspects of environmental analysis, including new work being done by researchers in North America and Asia.

The most commonly applied detector in gel permeation chromatography/size-exclusion chromatography (GPC/SEC) is the differential refractive index detector, RI. How UV–vis detection, if applicable, adds true value to GPC/SEC applications is discussed in this instalment of Tips & Tricks.

Splitless injections are sometimes necessary for trace analyses, where the analyst hopes to recover 100% of the analytes that are injected. Unfortunately, splitless injections can be challenging and using an imperfect method can lead to loss of analytes and poor peak shapes. The choice of inlet liner can have an impact on the data and one must consider the effects of geometry, packing, deactivation, and volume on introduction of analytes into the system. Other important inlet parameters to consider include inlet temperature, splitless hold time, and initial oven temperature.

This article highlights the use of a fast and simple high performance liquid chromatography–ultraviolet (HPLC–UV) assay for separation and quantification of 11 important cannabinoids, including CBD in hemp oil.

Incognito asks if chromatographers are behind the curve when it comes to automation.

The key differences between a classical balance and currently available automated systems from the good weighing practice (GWP) perspective and within the scope of ISO9001:2015 quality standard are discussed. The systems under review are: (i) manual analytical balances; (ii) semi‑automatic systems; (iii) fully automatic systems; and (iv) integrated systems that use on-line coupling of the analytical balance with the instrument used for analytical measurements. The parameters defined in GWP guidelines, such as accuracy, uncertainty, minimum weight, and risks (including out‑of‑specification results), will be evaluated for all of these systems.

Researchers from Merck and Agilent Technologies have developed a simple and fast generic gas chromatography–flame ionization detection (GC–FID) method for the quantitation of volatile amines in pharmaceutical drugs and synthetic intermediates.

Agilent Technologies has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the privately held ProZyme, Inc., a provider of glycan analysis reagents, kits, and standards.

Hamilton Storage GmbH has announced the total relocation of its operations to a high-technology industrial park in Domat/Ems, Switzerland.

The Chromatographic Society has announced the “Grass Roots 3” Educational Event is to be held at the Waterhead Hotel, Ambleside, Cumbria, UK, Friday 5–Monday 8 October 2018.

Click the title above to open The Column July 2018 North American issue, Volume 14, Number 7, in an interactive PDF format.

Click the title above to open The Column July 2018 Europe & Asia issue, Volume 14, Number 7, in an interactive PDF format.

It is often possible to achieve better sensitivity and lower limits of detection and quantitation using standard gas chromatography (GC) equipment-here I’m referring to a standard split/splitless injection port and a Flame Ionization Detector (FID). Paying attention to some of the fundamental variables as well as some of the more esoteric considerations can lead to much improved method performance.

If given the need to determine drug A or its metabolite in blood, 99% of the time I would choose to start with liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS).

Click the title above to open the LCGC Europe June 2018 regular issue in an interactive PDF format.

Current Trends in Mass Spectrometry, July 2018

The use of superficially porous particles (SPPs) for modern high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is now very common. Initially, SPPs rose as an alternative to sub-2-µm fully porous particles (FPPs). In recent years, many column manufacturers have developed 2-µm and smaller SPP-based products. This article investigates the practical utility of these smaller SPP designs.

Many manufacturers now offer columns using superficially porous particles that are 2-µm and smaller. When should you use them?