Trending on LCGC: The Top Content of 2024

As analytical science continues to evolve within both academic and industrial landscapes, the editors of LCGC International are equally focused on reimagining how we can deliver more innovative and engaging content to readers worldwide.

This year, we launched a series of articles in celebration of Earth Day, highlighting how chromatography is making a positive impact on environmental analysis in the “real world”.We also covered a range of conferences, including Pittcon, Analytica, the International Symposium on Chromatography (ISC), the Eastern Analytical Symposium (EAS), the 52nd International Symposium on High Performance Liquid Phase Separations and Related Techniques (HPLC), and the International Symposium on Hyphenated Techniques in Chromatography and Separation Technology (HTC-18)among others. Additionally, we had the honor of presenting seven awards, including the Emerging Leader in Chromatography and Lifetime Achievement in Chromatography Awards, four Rising Stars of Separation Science Awards, and the HTC-18 Innovation Award.We’ve also released new episodes of Analytically Speaking each month, available to listen to wherever you get your podcasts, and continued to publish high-quality print and digital content focused on the latest applications in chromatography. LCGC’s series of virtual symposiums have also been popular with our audience, including ChromTalks which focused on troubleshooting, The PFAS Summit 2024, and Separation Science: The State of The Art In Life Science Analysis, amongst many others!

Building on these highlights, below you’ll find a sampling of our most popular content from the year, in no particular order. Do you have suggestions for topics you'd like us to cover next year? Feel free to reach out to me directly at chroncich@mjhlifesciences.com. I’d love to hear your feedback.

The LCGC Blog: Charged Stationary Phases in Reversed Phase HPLC
By Tony Taylor
In this LCGC Blog, Taylor explores stationary phases that incorporate permanent or induced charges within, or alongside, hydrophobic alkyl silica type bonded ligands.

The Potential of Generative Artificial Intelligence as a Research Assistant for Measurement Science
Dwight Stoll and Jim Grinias
In this episode of the Analytically Speaking podcast, co-hosts Dwight Stoll and James Grinias talk with Farooq Wahab, Research Engineering Scientist at the University of Texas at Arlington. Wahab has interests and expertise in chiral separations, improving the green-ness of chromatographic separations, new detectors for chromatography such as microwave rotational spectroscopy, and new techniques for signal processing in chromatography, among other areas.

Detailed Glycosylation Analysis of Therapeutic Enzymes Using Comprehensive 2D-LC–MS
By Koen Sandra, Kathleen Piens, Debby Bracke, Pat Sandra, and Wouter Vervecken
The use of comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography (LC×LC) coupled to mass spectrometry (MS) for characterizing glycosylation of therapeutic enzymes is presented. Recombinant human acid α-glucosidase (rhGAA) was digested, and the resulting peptides were separated by reversed-phase LC (RPLC) at high and low pH in, respectively, the first and second dimension. Glycopeptide peaks were then selectively detected and identified by MS operated in all-ion fragmentation mode. The study of first generation rhGAA (myozyme), expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, and next-generation glyco-engineered rhGAA, produced in yeast cells to fine-tune the mannose-6-phosphate (M6P) content, is described.

The Gradient Delay Volume, Part II: Practice – Effects on Method Transfer
Dwight R. Stoll
In this installment of “LC Troubleshooting”, Dwight Stoll illustrates the impact of different gradient delay volumes when transferring a method between instruments and discuss some strategies that can be used to mitigate these challenges.

Are You Sure You Understand USP <621>?
By Paul Smith and R.D. McDowall
The updated version of United States Pharmacopeia (USP) general chapter <621> Chromatography includes changes that impact chromatography parameters. In this column, we look at the current version and the update of USP <621> on high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) that becomes effective 1 May 2025. Do you fully understand the changes and how they will impact your laboratory?

Sustainability and Separation Science: An Update
Alasdair Matheson
Elia Psillakis from the Technical University of Crete, Greece, spoke to The Column about sustainability and separation science based on two highly cited papers she published on this topic focusing on the 10 principles of green sample preparation and an innovative green metric tool called AGREEprep. She also elaborated on the newly published goal-framework of circular analytical chemistry and its relation to sustainability.

From Pittcon 2024 and Beyond: New Gas Chromatography Products to Watch This Year
By Nick Snow
In “GC Connections” Nicholas Snow presents his annual review of new products in gas chromatography (GC), introduced between spring 2023 and spring 2024.Gas chromatography (GC) continues to have a strong presence on the conference circuit and in the literature. Topics such as cannabis analysis, biofuels, food and beverages, forensics, pharmaceuticals, and general applications of both GC and two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC) are seen in a robust publication space.

The Biopharmaceutical and Gene Therapy Terminology Guide
By Jerome Workman, Jr.
This comprehensive peer-reviewed set of more than 600 definitions covers topics of interest for the biopharmaceutical and gene therapy subjects of genetics, therapeutics, drug development, clinical medicine, and the analytical science tools used for the characterization of drugs. This glossary serves as a helpful reference to both novice and advanced scientists, engineers, and business executives involved with biopharmaceuticals and gene therapy technologies. Online sources of information for topics covered in this guide are also included for additional insights.

A Well-Written Analytical Procedure for Regulated HPLC Testing
By Michael W. Dong
This paper describes the content of a well-written analytical procedure for regulated high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) testing. A stability-indicating HPLC assay for a drug product illustrates the required components for regulatory compliance, including additional parameters to expedite a laboratory analyst’s execution.

Highlights from HPLC 2024
Corey E. Muraco
The 52nd International Symposium on High Performance Liquid Phase Separations and Related Techniques (HPLC 2024), chaired by Susan Olesik, was held from July 20 to 25 in Denver, Colorado, USA. This “Column Watch” installment presents many of the highlighted topics and trends observed at this symposium.

From the Editor: There’s Too Much News
By Caroline Hroncich
Scientists are publishing their work more frequently. We want to cover the most relevant stories for you. Here’s how we’re doing it.

Trends in Sample Preparation, Part II: Sample Considerations and Techniques
By Douglas E. Raynie
In the October 2023 installment of “Sample Prep Perspectives,” we reported results obtained from a survey on sample preparation techniques, and compared those to results from previous surveys. The results uncovered trends in the field over the last generation and their impact in areas such as which technologies are currently being used, sample types, and sample load. This installment will continue our look at the sample preparation survey, focusing on sample sizes, laboratory techniques used, automation, the use of solid-phase extraction (SPE) devices (cartridges, disks, plates, tips), SPE chemistries and selection criteria, and problems encountered in SPE.

A Career in Liquid Chromatography: An Interview with Wolfgang Lindner
By Patrick Lavery
At Pittcon 2024, LCGC International sat down with Wolfgang Lindner of the University of Vienna to talk about his career in liquid chromatography (LC). Lindner is the 2024 recipient of LCGC’s Lifetime Achievement in Chromatography Award.

The State of Jobs in Analytical Chemistry: A Deep-Dive into the Latest Trends in Salaries, Jobs, and Career Growth in Chromatography
By Will Wetzel
The editors of LCGC International explore how chemists can set themselves apart in an ever-competitive job market, highlighting the latest data in salary and employment statistics.