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Kevin A. Schug is a Full Professor and Shimadzu Distinguished Professor of Analytical Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at The University of Texas (UT) at Arlington. He joined the faculty at UT Arlington in 2005 after completing a Ph.D. in Chemistry at Virginia Tech under the direction of Prof. Harold M. McNair and a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Vienna under Prof. Wolfgang Lindner. Research in the Schug group spans fundamental and applied areas of separation science and mass spectrometry. Schug was named the LCGC Emerging Leader in Chromatography in 2009, and most recently has been named the 2012 American Chemical Society Division of Analytical Chemistry Young Investigator in Separation Science awardee.

Articles

In April 2020, on the heels of the pandemic shutdown, the price of crude oil fell to a negative value for the first time ever. The shutdown hit many oil and gas companies hard. But while companies lick their wounds and decide their next moves, an important concept called environmental and social corporate governance (ESG) has come greater into focus.

The LCGC Blog: Environmental and Social Governance (ESG) in the Hydrocarbon Processing Industry (HPI) is an Opportunity for Industrial–Academic Partnerships

Jasmin Zboron joined the Gerstel Analytical Services department in 2015 as Application Specialist, after completing her B.Sc. Following projects on determining priority contaminants in water, her main focus is currently on GC/MS sample preparation and application development.

A highly sensitive method for quantitative determination of contaminants in surface waters, with and without particulate matter, was tested using stir-bar sorptive extraction (SBSE).

Extraction and Analysis of Contaminants in Water with Particulate Matter Using SBSE

Jennifer Lüber is currently the Product Specialist for Titration/TitrIC at Metrohm AG in Switzerland. She finished her apprenticeship as a Lab Technician at Metrohm AG in 2014. Afterwards, she was involved in projects related to column development, and worked in the laboratory for a short time at Metrohm UK. In 2015, Jennifer returned to Metrohm AG to join the competence center for titration, eventually taking responsibility for the TitrIC systems in 2018. Jennifer received her professional bachelor’s degree in business process management in 2019.

Uncovering the benefits of a system that hyphenates ion chromatography,  titration, and direct measurement, in environmental analysis of water samples.

Environmental Analysis with Integrated Ion Chromatography, Titration, and Direct Measurement

Waldemar Weber started his studies as a chemist in 2005 at the University of Münster, Germany. There, after graduating as a chemist, he achieved his Ph.D. in 2011 and completed a postdoc in 2013 at the Münster Electrochemical Energy Technology (‘MEET’) Research Center. From 2012 to 2013 he was employed as an Application Specialist at JAS in Moers, Germany. In November 2018 he joined Shimadzu Europa as Product Manager for GC–MS.

Exploring a new TD method capable of simultaneous analysis of compounds with a wide range of boiling points, high sensitivity, and high restore rates.

Analysis of Volatile Organic Compounds in the Environment Using TD-GC–MS

A hybrid HILIC–ion exchange column was used for the analysis of ultrashort-chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) compounds in environmental waters. This direct injection LC–MS method enables simultaneous measurement of ultrashort- chain, alternative, and legacy PFAS in potable and non-potable waters.

Simultaneous Analysis of Ultrashort-Chain, Alternative, and Legacy PFAS in Potable and Non-Potable Waters

A comprehensive monitoring protocol has been developed using GC–MS/ECD in selective ion monitoring (SIM) mode, with injection performed by solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and headspace (HS). This single system has been configured to analyze for all taste and odor (T&O) compounds in Standard Method 2170, with minimal changing of columns, injectors, or SPME fibers between methods.


A Turnkey Protocol for Detecting Taste and Odor Compounds in Drinking and Surface Waters by Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry and Electron Capture Detector (GC–MS/ECD)

This article explores the role of SPE sorbents for analyte recovery rates and method accuracy to develop clean samples for analysis and to reach lower limits of detection.

Advances in Solid-Phase Extraction to Improve the Analysis of Per- and Poly-fluorinated Alkyl Substances

Environmental laboratories with high sample throughput often wish to analyze PCDD/Fs and PCBs in separate fractions. The cleanup method described here results in complete separation, and offers an alternative to fully manual or fully automated cleanup.

Semi-Automated Cleanup of Persistent Organic Pollutants in Environmental Samples—Complete Separation of PCDD/Fs and  PCBs for Extracts in Toluene

Microplastic pollution in the environment is a major concern for governments and companies worldwide attempting to understand and reduce the damage they cause. As well as the direct damage these plastic pellets can also act as chemical reservoirs that leach chemical contaminants into the environment and further damage ecosystems. The Column spoke to Manuel Miró from the University of the Balearic Islands, Spain, about his research into the pollution caused by chemical leaching from microplastics.

Understanding Microplastic Leaching

Environmental analysis of water presents many challenges, one of which is the potential presence of unknown contaminants. LCGC spoke to Imma Ferrer, an associate research scientist at the University of Colorado, USA, about some of her recent research on nontargeted analysis of water, including water from wastewater treatment plants, hydraulic fracturing wastewater, and environmental water samples.

Advancing Nontargeted Analysis of Water

Laura Bush is a former managing editor of 

. She is currently the Editor-in-Chief of 

. 485 Route One South, Building F, First Floor, Iselin, NJ 08830, lbush@advanstar.com, tel. 732.346.3020

LC–MS techniques, particularly those using high-resolution MS and nontargeted analysis, are advancing many areas of water research. Here, Imma Ferrer of the University of Colorado shares some of her recent work in this field.

Researchers have developed an alternative method to reduce interferences for the analysis of N-nitrosamines using GC coupled to HR-QTOF-MS.

Nitrosamine Determination Using GC–PCI-QTOF-MS

In this study, the intentional incorporation of an air bubble into a solvent droplet is proposed for fully automated bubble-in-drop microextraction–gas chromatography–mass spectrometric (BID-GC–MS) analysis of selected organochlorine pesticides as model analytes.

Development of Fully Automated Bubble-in-Drop Microextraction–Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry of Organochlorine Pesticides in Environmental Waters

 until his resignation in July 2002 for the pursuit of other interests. He has nearly 17 years' experience in all aspects of scientific, technical, and medical publishing, and has served as the editor of publications such as 

The environmental analysis community sorely needs a system by which new and up-to-date methods are more easily developed, shared, and adopted.

Environmental Method Development: Key Challenges and Unmet Needs

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are chemicals found in fire‑fighting foams and consumer products requiring water-resistant and stain-repellent properties. As a result of their unique chemical properties and long‑term widespread usage, these chemicals are an emerging human health concern. US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released analytical methods for PFAS measurement in 2009 and most recently in November of 2018. In this article, data generated using these methods with allowed analytical modifications is presented and demonstrates robustness and reproducibility while achieving low level detection limits in drinking water. 

Quantitative Analysis of PFAS in Drinking Water Using Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their oxygenated derivatives (oxy-PAHs) are highly toxic carcinogens that present a significant hazard to human health. To fully understand the risks associated with exposure to PAHs, robust analytical methods for their detection are required. Mass spectrometry coupled with ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC–MS) has proven to be a powerful technique for the analysis of these compounds. This article looks at the benefits of using atmospheric-pressure chemical ionization (APCI) in the place of traditional electrospray ionization (ESI) for the detection of oxy-PAHs.

Enhanced Detection of Oxygenated Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Using Atmospheric-Pressure Chemical Ionization-Mass Spectrometry

In this interview, Thomas Letzel of the Technical University of Munich considers the current state of water analysis, looking at recommended techniques, the
growth of nontargeted screening, and multi-disciplinary collaboration.

Trends in Water Analysis

Traditional sample preparation method development can often be laborious and costly. Understanding the underlying concepts of the technique can help food and environmental laboratories develop methods in notoriously complex matrices, faster, more efficiently, and provide better chromatography. With the presence of many unique matrices and analytes, methods such as QuEChERS, supported liquid extraction (SLE), or solid-phase extraction (SPE) provide the necessary adaptability for many types of extractions. With customizable methods to work with unique matrices and with the addition of automation, extractions can be improved to save time and provide consistent recoveries.

Modern Sample Preparation Methods for Food and Environmental Laboratories

The Royal Society of Chemistry’s Environmental Chemistry Group, Water Science Forum, and the Separation Science Group Joint Meeting will be held on Friday 22 February 2019 in the Science Suite of the Royal Society of Chemistry, in Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, UK.

Latest Advances in the Analysis of Complex Environmental Matrices

This applicate note presents the use of an automated solid-phase extraction (SPE) system to improve the accuracy and precision of semivolatile extractions, in compliance with EPA Method 8270.

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