Best of the Week: Women in Chromatography Roundtable Discussion

This past week, LCGC International launched a series of roundtable discussions on women in chromatography. In addition, we featured an interview Dimitrios Papelis of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens regarding a green analytical chemistry approach for authenticating extra-virgin olive oil using direct analysis in real time–high resolution mass spectrometry (DART-HRMS). We also presented work conducted which used thermal desorption–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS) to quantify volatile organic compound emissions from nine tactile toys and observed scaling of theirrelease with product mass and surface area, and looked back at early March’s Pittcon, (as well as a look ahead to next week’s analytica 2026).

This is the Best of the Week.

Women in Chromatography: The Pull of the Analytical Mind

In the first part of this roundtable discussion focused on the experiences, challenges, and contributions of women in chromatography,¹LCGC International spoke to Amandaa Brewer, Paola Tiedemann, Chelsea Plummer, and Jennifer Field about the draw that analytical science had for them.

Rapid DART-HRMS Fingerprinting for 1%–Level Detection of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Adulteration

A recent paper presented a high-throughput, green analytical chemistry approach for authenticating extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) using direct analysis in real time–high resolution mass spectrometry (DART-HRMS). LCGC International spoke to Dimitrios Papelis, lead author of that paper, about the method.²

TD-GC-MS Analysis Reveals VOC Emissions from Tactile Toys

Using thermal desorption–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS), researchers quantified volatile organic compound emissions from nine tactile toys and observed scaling of VOC release with product mass and surface area. Hazardous solvent residues such as dimethylformamide and methylene chloride produced an initial high-concentration emission burst, underscoring the need for standardized emission testing.³

Pittcon 2026: Damià Barceló on Microplastics Analysis in Wastewater

At Pittcon 2026, Damià Barceló of the Universidad de Almería sat down with LCGC International to discuss sustainable analytical approaches for microplastics detection and the open challenges facing the field.⁴

Analytica 2026: The Future of Smart Laboratories

Analytica 2026, being held from March 24–27 in Munich, brings together 1100+ exhibitors alongside expert forums, live laboratory demonstrations, and career events shaping the future of laboratory technology.⁵

References

1. Brewer, A. K.; Tiedemann, P.; Plummer, C.; Field, J. K. Women in Chromatography: The Pull of the Analytical Mind. ChromatographyOnline website. https://www.chromatographyonline.com/view/women-in-chromatography-the-pull-of-the-analytical-mind (accessed 2026-03-20)
2. Papelis, D.; Chasse, J. Rapid DART-HRMS Fingerprinting for 1%–Level Detection of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Adulteration. ChromatographyOnline website. https://www.chromatographyonline.com/view/rapid-dart-hrms-fingerprinting-for-1-level-detection-of-extra-virgin-olive-oil-adulteration(accessed 2026-03-20)
3. Chasse, J. TD-GC-MS Analysis Reveals VOC Emissions from Tactile Toys. ChromatographyOnline website. https://www.chromatographyonline.com/view/td-gc-ms-analysis-reveals-voc-emissions-from-tactile-toys
4. Barceló, D.; Jones, K. Pittcon 2026: Damià Barceló on Microplastics Analysis in Wastewater. ChromatographyOnline website.https://www.chromatographyonline.com/view/pittcon-2026-dami-barcel-on-microplastics-analysis-in-wastewater (accessed 2026-03-20)
5. LCGC Staff. Analytica 2026: The Future of Smart Laboratories. ChromatographyOnline website. https://www.chromatographyonline.com/view/analytica-2026-the-future-of-smart-laboratories (accessed 2026-03-20)