Best of the Week: Chromatography Workstations, Fingerprint Quality, PFAS Research

This week, LCGC International published a variety of articles on the hottest topics in chromatography and beyond. Below, we’ve highlighted some of the most popular articles, according to our readers. Happy reading!

The LCGC Blog: Moving Beyond Minimum Specs to Set Up Your Chromatography Data Workstation

Katelynn A. Perrault Uptmor, James Harynuk

Multidimensional chromatography software has come a long way in the past 10 years, but pairing a new instrument with an ill-suited data workstation can cause tragic bottlenecks. In this edition of “The LCGC Blog”, Katelynn Perrault Uptmor and James Harynuk discuss what one should consider when setting up a dedicated data workstation, specifically for research based around comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC–TOFMS).

Integrated 4D Fingerprint Quality Assessment System for Traditional Chinese Medicine

Aaron Acevedo

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is notable within the global medical community for its therapeutic benefits and supposed market potential. However, rapid developments in TCM have led to notable challenges related to quality control. Due to the complex composition of TCM, multifaceted mechanisms of action, and significant component variation across sample batches, focusing on a limited number of compounds is insufficient for comprehensive quality control. As such, TCM quality control must evolve as a research field, with the systems in this field being able to mitigate quality control issues. In a recent study led by scientists from Shenyang Pharmaceutical University in Liaoning, China, scientists developed a new quality assessment system for various types of TCM, including Shuanghuanglian oral liquid (SHL)

North Carolina Collaboratory Expands PFAS Research Capabilities

Will Wetzel

Per- and polyfluoralkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemicals commonly used in consumer products such as non-stick cookware, water-resistant clothing, and food packaging. PFAS contamination is a concern for living organisms in the environment, seeing how they bioaccumulate and they are associated with human health effects including developmental, reproductive, and immune system disorders. As such, organizations have begun taking steps to regulate these substances. On March 27th, 2024, the North Carolina Collaboratory, an organization focused on advancing scientific research for policymaking in North Carolina, announced a partnership with instrument manufacturer Thermo Fisher Scientific to purchase five mass spectrometry instruments from them to advance the state of North Carolina’s efforts in analyzing per- and polyfluoralkyl substances (PFAS) in the environment. The details behind this deal are featured in this article.

Previewing the Technical Program for ASMS 2024

Caroline Hroncich

The American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) conference, which will take place from June 2-6, 2024, brings together mass spectrometry experts from across the globe. This year, attendees can drop into a variety of oral presentations, workshops, short courses, poster sessions, and more. In this article, our team highlighted a few interesting workshops and presentations happening throughout the week to add to your calendar.

Dispersive Liquid-Liquid Microextraction: A Review and Roundup of Green Sample Prep Advancements

Patrick Lavery

Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (dLLME) is a miniaturization of traditional liquid-liquid extraction (LLE). This process consists of a mixture comprised of an extraction solvent and a dispersive solvent is rapidly injected into a sample, creating a resultant turbid solution that contains fine droplets of the extraction solvent, which are then centrifuged to integrate and unify them prior to collection by a micro-syringe for analysis. In a recent study out of TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry, Hakin Fraji of the University of La Laguna, examines the advantages and pitfalls of dLLME, and reviews recent innovations designed to better align dLLME with green analytical sample preparation principles.