Princeton University Selects Thermo Fisher Scientific Mass Spectrometer
September 15th 2008Thermo Fisher Scientific (San Jose, California) announced that Princeton University (Princeton, New Jersey) will be using the company's MALDI LTQ Orbitrap XL mass spectrometer for research on virus-host protein interactions in the laboratory of Ileana Cristea.
Bad Automobile Air Conditioner Odors Sampled for GC Analysis
September 15th 2008A research group from Kangwon National University (South Korea) set up a laboratory-scale test cooling bench with an airflow, temperature, and relative humidity controller and used it to simulate the unpleasant odor produced by an automobile air conditioner evaporator.
Universal quantification using ELS detection and real-time response control
September 10th 2008Polymer Laboratories, now a part of Varian, Inc., has published an application note on Universal quantification using ELS detection and real-time response control. The ability of the Varian 385-LC to overcome solvent enhancement effects during gradient elution makes it ideal for quantifying unknown compounds. This application note shows that combined with the improved sensitivity to semi-volatile compounds at sub-ambient temperature, the Varian ELSD offers a simple and accurate solution to universal quantification.
Micellar Liquid Chromatography: How to Start
September 1st 2008Micellar liquid chromatography (MLC) is a reversed-phase liquid chromatographic mode with a solution of surfactant forming micelles as the mobile phase. The interaction of solutes with the stationary phase coated with surfactant monomers, combined with the increased solubilization capability of micelles, have profound implications with regard to retention, selectivity and efficiency. Practical steps that a chromatographer involved in MLC should consider when developing an analytical procedure are described, including mobile phase preparation, column conditioning and cleaning.
Agilent and University of Technology Sydney Establish Elemental Bioimaging Facility
September 1st 2008Agilent Technologies (Santa Clara, California) and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS, Sydney, Australia) have established the UTS Elemental Bio-Imaging Facility to study trace metals and other elements in tissue and their effects on health.
From the Publisher: Timing is Everything
September 1st 2008They say that timing is everything, and though this saying may have originally been applied to Broadway and Vaudeville in the early twentieth century, it is just as true when it comes to the field of modern-day separation science. For this September issue of The Application Notebook should be reaching our audience of analytical chemists, lab managers, and other industry professionals just as the busiest time of the year ramps up in the world of chromatography.
Torion Technologies, Inc. Partners with Smiths Detection
September 1st 2008Torion Technologies, Inc. (American Fork, Utah), a manufacturer of automated miniaturized, hand-portable GC and toroidal ion trap mass spectrometry (TMS) technology, has announced a partnership with Smiths Detection (Danbury,Connecticut), part of the global technology business, Smiths Group, and a technology developer and manufacturer of sensors that detect and identify explosives, chemical and biological agents, weapons, and contraband.
Whitesides to Deliver Pittcon 2009 Plenary Lecture
September 1st 2008The Pittsburgh Conference (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) has announced that George M. Whitesides, the Woodford L. and Ann A. Flowers University Professor of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University (Cambridge, Massachusetts), will be the Plenary Speaker at Pittcon 2009 on March 8, 2009.
SPME-Headspace GC Analysis of BTEX in Waste Treatment Effluent
September 1st 2008Researchers from Sao Cristovao and Salvador, Brazil employed a solid-phase microextraction (SPME-headspace gas chromatography (GC) method to analyze benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) in water released from a waste treatment plant.
Researchers Discover Pesticide Build-Up Could Lead to Poor Honey Bee Health
September 1st 2008Penn State researchers have discovered that pesticide build-up could lead to poor honey bee health. The researchers analyzed pollen, brood, adult bees, and wax samples. The results show unprecedented levels of fluvalinate and coumaphos - pesticides used in the hives to combat varroa mites - in all comb and foundation wax samples. They also found lower levels of 70 other pesticides and metabolites of those pesticides in pollen and bees.
Scientists Combine Dynamic Liquid Phase Extraction with Nanoscale Volumes for GC-MS Analysis
September 1st 2008Two scientists based in Taiwan have combined dynamic liquid phase extraction with nanoscale volumes for GC-MS analysis, scaling down the corresponding microscale procedure to what they claim is "the smallest amount of extraction phase and sample solution in [the] GC-MS."
Mass Spectrometry Used to Identify Proteins in Fossils
September 1st 2008Scientists from North Carolina State University (Raleigh, North Carolina) and Harvard University (Cambridge, Massachusetts) have used Thermo Fisher Scientific (San Jose, California) LTQ linear ion trap and LTQ Orbitrap XL mass spectrometers to extract and sequence tiny pieces of collagen protein from a dinosaur and a mastodon.
Researchers Study Loss of Vitamin C in Various Baby Bottles
September 1st 2008A group of researchers at the University of Nevada-Reno (Reno, Nevada), led by Dr. Jimi Francis, conducted a study, "Comparative Analysis of Nutrients in Baby Milk Using Varied Milk Delivery Systems." The study measured the level of nutrient loss using HPLC methods during simulated baby bottle feedings and has found that some bottle types resulted in significant loss of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) during a typical 20-min feeding.
Thermo Fisher Scientific Receives Awards for Software
September 1st 2008Thermo Fisher Scientific (Waltham, Massachusetts) announced that it had received five Scientific Computing 2008 Readers’ Choice awards for software in four categories: laboratory information management systems (LIMS), bioinformatics, chromatography, and spectroscopy.
Seegene and Shimadzu Form Partnership for Pathogen Detection
September 1st 2008Seegene, Inc. (Rockville, Maryland) and Shimadzu Corporation (Columbia, Maryland) announced that they had formed a strategic partnership to combine Seegene's Seeplex multipathogen tests with Shimadzu's MultiNA high-speed electrophoresis system.
Multiresidue Antibiotic Analysis
September 1st 2008Scientists from the USDA';s Eastern Regional Research Center (Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania) analyzed 11 beta-lactam antibiotics in bovine kidney using a sample preparation method consisting of an acetonitrile-water extraction followed by a dispersive solid-phase extraction with a C18 sorbent, extract concentration, and filtration with syringeless filter vials.
Micellar Liquid Chromatography: How to Start
September 1st 2008Micellar liquid chromatography (MLC) is a reversed-phase liquid chromatographic mode with a solution of surfactant forming micelles as the mobile phase. The interaction of solutes with the stationary phase coated with surfactant monomers, combined with the increased solubilization capability of micelles, have profound implications with regard to retention, selectivity and efficiency. Practical steps that a chromatographer involved in MLC should consider when developing an analytical procedure are described, including mobile phase preparation, column conditioning and cleaning.
Scientists Determine Cause of Odors in Car AC Units using GC Methods
September 1st 2008Scientists from Kangwon National University in South Korea undertook a comprehensive study to identify the types of compounds in vehicle AC unit emissions, using gas chromatography with four types of detection: olfactometry, flame ionisation detection (FID), mass spectrometry (MS) and atomic emission detection (AED). It was conducted on a lab-scale model unit that contained a rogue AC evaporator from a vehicle that was associated with unpleasant odours and had only 4000 km on the clock.
Researchers Determine the Smell of Skin Cancer Using GC-MS Techniques
September 1st 2008Researchers from the Monell Center (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) used GC-MS techniques to sample air above basal cell tumors and found a different profile of chemical compounds compared to the skin in healthy people. Human skin has many airborne chemical molecules known as VOCs, many of which have odors.