Best of the Week: Shaping a World of Chromatography, Measuring PFAS, and Equipment Roundup

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

Shaping a World of Chromatography

Caroline Hroncich

From October 6-10, 2024, analytical scientists from around the world converged in Liverpool, UK for the 34th International Symposium on Chromatography (ISC). A key theme throughout this symposium was the spirit of mentorship. Attendees not only had the opportunity to learn about the latest breakthroughs in chromatography, but also to engage in meaningful discussions about the future of the field. Panels, workshops, and informal discussions all centered around the idea that the challenges facing society—whether in environmental sustainability, healthcare, or forensic science—require new approaches and fresh perspectives.

Equipment Roundup: Refeyn Ltd.’s MassFluidix HC Upgrade Enhances High-Concentration Analysis

John Chasse

In the “Equipment Roundup,” the editors of LCGC International highlight the newest products from instrument manufacturers around the world. For this installment, we focused on Refeyn Ltd., an Oxford, UK corporation specializing in the development, production, and distribution of mass photometry technologies for industry and academia, who recently announced the release of a powerful expansion of its consumables portfolio. The company states that this introduction of next-generation microfluidic chips and improvements to Refeyn’s microfluidic system, as well as a new protein calibration standard, will save users time, while ensuring reproducibility across experiments and laboratories, and supporting a broader range of applications.

A Well-Written Analytical Procedure for Regulated HPLC Testing

Michael W. Dong

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) plays a significant role in the quality control of pharmaceuticals, and the development of stability-indicating assays is often the first key task for separation scientists in the pharmaceutical industry. The intricated method development process of these analytical procedures and regulatory expectations have been described in books, journal articles, and regulatory guidelines. Dong’s latest “Perspectives in Modern HPLC” column focuses on the recommended contents of the analytical procedure as outlined in a United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance document published in 2015. An HPLC assay method for a small-molecule drug product is used here as an illustrative example of the required regulatory compliance elements and suggested parameters that help the analyst for more straightforward method execution with better accuracy.

Tracking PFAS in Ski Wax Products

Aaron Acevedo

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large and complex group of synthetic chemicals that have been used in consumer products since the 1950s. PFAS are used in various everyday products from anti-stick cookware to stain resistant clothes. However, constant exposure can be dangerous, as PFAS have been linked to various diseases, such as an increased risk of certain cancers. A recent study published in used various analytical techniques to detect and quantify the presence of PFAS and fluorine in ski wax products. Lead author of the resulting paper Raquel Gonzalez de Vega of the University of Graz in Graz, Austria, spoke with LCGC International about the process of analyzing ski wax products for PFAS.

Identifying PFAS in Soil Samples

Patrick Lavery, Caroline Hroncich

There are more than 15,000 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), according to a chemicals database organized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). PFAS are associated with numerous health risks, and analytical scientists around the world are investigating better ways to detect these synthetic chemicals in the environment and food. Jonathan Zweigle, of the University of Tübingen, is one of these scientists. Zweigle is using non-targeted screening based on high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) to detect PFAS in soil samples. HRMS allows scientists to determine the elemental and isotopic composition of a sample with high accuracy. LCGC International sat down with Zweigle to discuss his research and the latest in PFAS identification and analysis.

References

(1) Hroncich, C. Shaping a World of Chromatography. LCGC International 2024. https://www.chromatographyonline.com/view/shaping-a-world-of-chromatography (accessed 2024-10-16)

(2) Chasse, J. Equipment Roundup: Refeyn Ltd.’s MassFluidix HC Upgrade Enhances High-Concentration Analysis. LCGC International 2024. https://www.chromatographyonline.com/view/equipment-roundup-refeyn-ltd-s-massfluidix-hc-upgrade-enhances-high-concentration-analysis (accessed 2024-10-17)

(3) Dong, M. W.A Well-Written Analytical Procedure for Regulated HPLC Testing. LCGC International 2024. https://www.chromatographyonline.com/view/a-well-written-analytical-procedure-for-regulated-hplc-testing (accessed 2024-10-17)

(4) Acevedo, A. Tracking PFAS in Ski Wax Products. LCGC International 2024. https://www.chromatographyonline.com/view/tracking-pfas-in-ski-wax-products (accessed 2024-10-17)

(5) Lavery, P.; Hroncich, C. Identifying PFAS in Soil Samples. LCGC International 2024. https://www.chromatographyonline.com/view/identifying-pfas-in-soil-samples (accessed 2024-101-7)