February 11th 2025
In Part II of our exploration of splitless injection, we will see that it is a surprisingly complex process, and that it is difficult to understand because we cannot see what is happening during the injection process. For this discussion, we will think of the injection process as beginning with the syringe plunger being depressed and ending with the start of a temperature program in the column oven. In most splitless injections, this process requires 30 s to 1 min. There are several band broadening and focusing mechanisms that affect the peak shapes, widths, and heights resulting from splitless injection.
February 6th 2025
The Global Laboratory Life Science and Analytical Instrument Industry
July 1st 2007The laboratory life science and analytical instrument industry is comprised of a large, diverse group of organizations that manufacture and distribute their products worldwide. However, overall industry sales are concentrated among a small set of companies. Approximately 950 firms are included in the industry, but only about 100 companies have sales above $50 million.
Accelerated Buffer System for Amino Acid Analysis
March 2nd 2007The continual increase in sample numbers in busy labs means that it is often difficult for quality control or contract analysis labs to maintain short turnaround times, particularly when instruments are already running at full capacity. To address the need for faster analysis while retaining the quality of separation offered by dedicated amino acid analysers, an improved formulation of sodium citrate based buffers has been developed by Biochrom.
Non-Classical Methods in Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography
March 1st 2007It may be somewhat audacious to claim that some methods in GCÃ-GC can be called non-classical - the technique has only been around for about 15 years and one might argue that this is not long enough to establish a suite of classical methods.
How Close is Close Enough? Accuracy and Precision
March 1st 2007The accuracy and precision of results in gas chromatography and other analytical techniques are highly dependent upon the sample and its preparation, the instrumentation, accessories and operating conditions, as well as operator skill and experience. For these reasons, accuracy and precision for a specific methodology can be expected to vary from one laboratory or operator to another. This month, we look at statistical analysis as a diagnostic tool.
Setting Realistic Expectations for GC Optimization
March 1st 2007Setting realistic expectations requires a good working knowledge of an instrument's capabilities in terms of the sample requirements as well as an understanding of the effects of real-world samples and their matrices on long-term instrument performance.
Separation Instrumentation Demand
March 1st 2007Separation instrument techniques are among the most widely used technologies in the analytical instrumentation market. They span the entire industrial and regional marketplace. The lab separations market includes chromatographic techniques such as analytical and preparative HPLC, GC, IC, TLC, flash, and low pressure LC.
Gas Chromatography?Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry in Food Analysis
March 1st 2007Gas chromatography (GC) coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS) offers unique solutions for various analytical applications including the analysis of food quality, authenticity and safety markers. This article provides a general overview of TOF-MS basic features, highlighting its advantages and limitations compared with GC using conventional mass analyzers. Examples of recent results obtained for selected food contaminants and flavor components are described to illustrate the potential of this recently introduced technique.
Gas Chromatography-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry in Food Analysis
March 1st 2007Gas chromatography (GC) coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS) offers unique solutions for various analytical applications including the analysis of food quality, authenticity and safety markers. This article provides a general overview of TOF-MS basic features, highlighting its advantages and limitations compared with GC conventional mass analyzers. Examples of recent results obtained selected food contaminants and flavor components are described illustrate the potential of this recently introduced technique.