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Is that peak “pure”? How do I know if there might be something hiding under there?

Specialists in food analysis are increasingly interested in taking advantage of methods that harness the power of ultrahigh-pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). Jon Wong of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been developing such methods for a variety of types of analysis. In this interview, he talks to LCGC about the work to develop these methods and the advantages of their use.

The 32nd International Symposium on Chromatography (ISC 2018) will be held on 23Ð27 September 2018 in Cannes-Mandelieu, France.

Is that peak “pure”? How do I know if there might be something hiding under there?

The chemical analysis of organic compounds in environmental samples is often targeted on predetermined analytes. A major shortcoming of this approach is that it invariably excludes a vast number of compounds of unknown relevance. Nontargeted chemical fingerprinting analysis addresses this problem by including all compounds that generate a relevant signal from a specific analytical platform and so more information about the samples can be obtained. A DHS−TD−GC−MS method for the fingerprinting analysis of mobile VOCs in soil is described and tested in this article. The analysis parameters, sorbent tube, purge volume, trapping temperature, drying of sorbent tube, and oven temperature were optimized through qualitative and semiquantitative analysis. The DHS−TD–GC−MS fingerprints of soil samples from three sites with spruce, oak, or beech were investigated by pixel-based analysis, a nontargeted data analysis method.

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

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

This yearly report on new products introduced at Pittcon (or in the preceding year) covers sample preparation instrumentation, supplies, and accessories.

An excerpt from LCGC’s e-learning tutorial on troubleshooting autosampler contamination at CHROMacademy.com

Peak intensity enhancement is one highly desirable outcome of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC). When coupled to mass spectrometry (MS), such enhancement is usually achieved with a thermal modulator using a technique called cryogenic zone compression (CZC). Differential flow modulation is a simple and cost-effective alternative to thermal modulation, but the requisite high flow rates are generally perceived as being incompatible with most (electron ionization [EI] and chemical ionization [CI]) mass spectrometers. The past decade has witnessed resurgent interest in coupling GC to atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI), which requires high gas flows to assist ionization. This article reports on the modification of a GC–APCI system with a flow modulator and evaluates its potential to enhance the sensitivity towards selected trace organics.

Josef Heiland has been awarded the 2018 Eberhard Gerstel Prize for his publication “Temperature Gradient Elution and Superheated Eluents in Chip-HPLC” (1), which was published in the journal Analytical Chemistry.

Agilent Technologies has announced an agreement to acquire Genohm, a developer of highly differentiated, on-premise, and cloud-based software solutions for laboratory management.

LabConnect LLC, a global provider of central laboratory and support services for biopharmaceutical, medical device, and contract research organization, has completed phase one of a 11,000 square foot facility expansion in Johnson City, Tennessee, USA.

Researchers from Gdansk University of Technology, Poland, have investigated the flavour profiles of e-cigarette refill solutions using GC–MS/MS.

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

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

What can metal–organic frameworks offer for liquid chromatography?

Here, we see how 2D-LC can solve coelution problems that are difficult or impossible to address using peak purity tools or curve resolution methods.

With autosamplers, we need to be extra careful to avoid contamination.

Comprehensive 2D-LC using HILIC and reversed-phase LC is a robust tool to characterize nonionic ethoxylated surfactants in pharmaceutical formulations.

We examine the connection between the distribution coefficient and Gibbs free energy, and contributions from enthalpy and entropy.

Drug discovery can be accelerated by chromatographic profiling of analogs by measuring their nonspecific binding to proteins and lipids.

An introduction to this special issue from the guest editor.

The packed particle bed format still rules LC columns, but advances continue in monoliths. Meanwhile, newer formats are on the horizon, including microfabricated columns and 3D printed columns. This article provides a critical review of all these technologies and demonstrates how further development of chromatographic columns will be of paramount importance in the future.

Thermal effects in UHPLC and low-density SFC cause peak broadening and distortion. A solution to this problem is to thermally insulate the chromatographic column. Vacuum-jacketed column technology has been developed as a new approach to insulate the column in a practical way.

This article highlights the use of a new HILIC zwitterionic phase on superficially porous particles. A study on the use of a novel mobile-phase additive to achieve superior peak shape and isomer separation is also discussed, as well as improved LC–MS detection capabilities for metabolomics analysis.

Liquid chromatography (LC) is proving to be a valuable complementary technique to gas chromatography (GC) in cannabis testing for the analysis of cannabinoids, mycotoxins, and pesticides.