Gerstel Form OEM Agreement with Spark Holland
March 6th 2014Gerstel GmbH & Co. KG (M?lheim an der Ruhr, Germany) and Spark Holland (Emmen, The Netherlands) have announced an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) agreement. The agreement will allow Gerstel to develop and market fully integrated automated dried blood spot (DBS) technology from Spark Holland that recently received a US patent.
Myths in Ultrahigh-Pressure Liquid Chromatography
March 1st 2014The advent of ultrahigh-pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) and its successful commercialization in the last few years has brought forth a modern high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) platform capable of higher speed, resolution, precision, and sensitivity. Currently, all major HPLC manufacturers have some type of low-dispersion UHPLC products with upper pressure limits ranging from 15,000 to 19,000 psi (1000 to 1300 bar) on the market. This installment describes a number of popular myths or half-truths in UHPLC and provides data that contradict or even repudiate some of these commonly held beliefs.
Strategies for the Detection and Elimination of Matrix Effects in Quantitative LC–MS Analysis
March 1st 2014Currently available methods for the detection of matrix effects in liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) are tedious and complex; therefore, a simpler method is required. Although there are no methods to completely eliminate matrix effects, the most well-recognized technique available to correct for matrix effects is that of internal standardization using stable isotope–labelled versions of the analytes. As this method can prove expensive, an alternative method of correction is likely to be useful. In this study, a simple method based on recovery is assessed for the detection of matrix effects. Two alternative methods for the rectification of matrix effects in LC–MS are also assessed: Standard addition and the coeluting internal standard method.
Mixed-Mode HPLC Separations: What, Why, and How
March 1st 2014The mechanisms of mixed-mode chromatography are discussed with reference to the parameters that are used to optimize selectivity and retention. Illustrative examples are presented with strategies for column selection and screening to allow this technique to be quickly and effectively adopted by end users.
Speeding up Biopharmaceutical Separations using Ion-Exchange Chromatography
February 27th 2014The efficiency of protein separation by ion-exchange chromatography could be increased by up to a factor of 5 according to a new study, potentially speeding up biopharmaceutical production.1 Christy Landes of Rice University in Texas (USA) and her team performed the first molecular-scale investigation into protein ion-exchange chromatography by using direct super-resolution techniques and the stochastic theory.