Musings from the Little Black Book of GC
Incognito allows us to see into his little black book of GC facts.
I have a little black book that I have kept since starting my laboratory career (and is, therefore, not so little any longer), which contains useful facts or little known information that I have picked up over the years. Recently, I have been involved in several discussions that suggest some of this information has fallen from common knowledge or has been forgotten. One colleague suggested I publish a sample of tips and tricks from my notebook and invite replies to test this theory. So, this month I present part 1 of a smorgasbord of items that have surprised, helped or been truly revelatory to me during my GC career - I hope you also find them useful, informative or both. I would like to invite you all to reply with comments, corrections or your own ‘killer facts’ and contribute to the ‘Big Book of GC Facts’, which we may collectively publish for the benefit of all GC practitioners ([email protected]).
RAFA 2024 Highlights: Contemporary Food Contamination Analysis Using Chromatography
November 18th 2024A series of lectures focusing on emerging analytical techniques used to analyse food contamination took place on Wednesday 6 November 2024 at RAFA 2024 in Prague, Czech Republic. The session included new approaches for analysing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), polychlorinated alkanes (PCAS), Mineral Oil Hydrocarbons (MOH), and short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs and MCCPs).
Pharmaceutical excipients, such as polyethylene glycol-based polymers, must be tested for the presence of ethylene oxide (EtO) and 1,4-dioxane as part of a safety assessment, according to USP Chapter <228>.
Profiling Volatile Organic Compounds in Whisky with GC×GC–MS
November 1st 2024Researchers from Austria, Greece, and Italy conducted a study to analyze volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in Irish and Scotch whiskys using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) Arrow with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC×GC–MS) to examine the organoleptic characteristics that influence the taste of spirits.
