Sample Preparation

The ionic strength of a sample and the solvent used to dissolve it play a pivotal role in routine capillary electrophoresis (CE).

Researchers from Uppsala University (Uppsala, Sweden) added alkali salts to protein samples in preparation for capillary electrophoresis (CE) analysis of intact proteins.

The guest columnists review SBSE and HSSE and examine their advantages and limitations, along with providing approaches to overcoming the latter.

Researchers from the University of Thessaly (Volos, Greece) used a single-drop microextraction technique with gas chromatography (GC) and nitrogen?phosphorus and electron-capture detection to analyze pesticides in vegetables.

Scientists from Sezione di Tecnologie Alimetari (Firenze, Italy) and the University of California, Davis (Davis, California) analyzed grape aroma compounds in Cabernet Sauvignon grapes using headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME) with gas chromatography?mass spectrometry (GC?MS).

Researchers from the University of Waterloo (Waterloo, Canada) designed and constructed a cold fiber solid-phase microextraction (SPME) device and applied it to the analysis of off flavors in a rice sample.

Supelco, a division of Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis, Missouri), announced that its HybridSPE-Precipitation technology has won the SelectScience.net 2009 Scientists? Choice Award for Best New Separations Product in 2008.

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing, China), Beijing Technology and Business University (Beijing, China), and Hebei University (Shijiazhuang, China) used dispersive liquid?liquid microextraction and ultrahigh-pressure liquid chromatography to analyze triclosan, triclocarban, and methyl-triclosan in aqueous samples.

Researchers from Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Tarragona, Spain) and the University of Strathclyde (Glasgow, UK) synthesized two molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) by precipitation polymerization using the antiepileptic drug carbamazepine as the template molecule and two types of crosslinking agents.

Scientists from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (Newark, New Jersey) used micro solid-phase extraction (SPE) devices consisting of single- and multiwalled carbon nanotubes packed in the needle of a syringe for sampling, analyte enrichment, and sample introduction.

Researchers from Central China Normal University (Wuhan, China), Wenzhou Medical College (Wenzhou, China), and East China University of Science and Technology (Shanghai, China) extracted polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) from water and plant samples using solid-phase extraction (SPE) and dispersive liquid?liquid microextraction (DLLME).

Scientists from Lorillard Tobacco Company (Greensboro, North Carolina) developed an improved method for analyzing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in mainstream tobacco smoke.

Researchers from IWW Water Centre (Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany) and University Duisburg-Essen (Duisberg, Germany) developed a solid-phase extraction (SPE) procedure using extraction disks in the analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in surface water samples.

Agilent Technologies (Santa Clara, California) announced that its Direct Drive Robot was named by the Association for Laboratory Automation as one of the top three outstanding new products at LabAutomation2009.

PerkinElmer (Waltham, Massachusetts) will become a distributor of purge-and-trap automated sample concentration systems from Teledyne Tekmar (Mason, Ohio) under terms of a reseller agreement.

Pickering Laboratories, Inc. (Mountain View, California) announced that it will be distributing a gel-permeation chromatography (GPC) instrument from LCTech GmbH (Dorfen, Germany) when it is released in the second quarter of 2009.

Researchers from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (Newark, New Jersey) prepared a micro solid-phase extraction (SPE) device consisting of carbon nanotubes packed in the needle of a syringe.

Researchers at the Munich Technical University and Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority have developed a comprehensive mycotoxin screening method based on the use of an LCTech GPC ULTRA gel permeation chromatography (GPC) instrument, which is distributed in North America by Pickering Laboratories (Mountain View, California) for sample cleanup before separation and detection.

A research group from the University of Valencia (Valencia, Spain) and the University of Alicante (Alicante, Spain) used ionic liquid?based single-drop microextraction followed by gas chromatography (GC) to analyze chlorobenzenes in real water samples.

Scientists from Xiamen University (Xiamen, China) employed solid-phase microextraction (SPME) with a carbon nanotube?coated fiber to analyze phenols in aqueous samples.

Researchers from the University of Murcia (Murcia, Spain) developed a sample pretreatment system based on solid-phase microextraction (SPME) followed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry detection (GC?MS).

Researchers at Universidad Miguel Hernandez (Elche, Spain) analyzed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in aerosols using a thermal desorption gas chromatography?mass spectrometry (GC?MS) method.

LCGC (Chromatographyonline.com) has developed a pilot program with EARL (EARL2learn.com), the most extensive online library of interactive web-based learning material for analytical chemistry.

Ron Majors brings readers his yearly review of all that was new and innovative at the annual Pittsburgh Conference.

A review of the role of Solid-phase Microextraction (SPME) in quality control (QC) in the fish oil industry.