Raman and FTIR Microscopy in Perfect Harmony
December 20th 2023Shimadzu’s AIRsight infrared Raman microscope delivers more accurate results and improves operational efficiency by enabling both infrared and Raman measurements from the same position without moving the sample. This combined system saves valuable bench space while providing for easier operation with software that easily switches between infrared and Raman measurements via the same window.
Nitrate Analysis of Water Samples Using a Benchtop UV-vis Spectrophotometer
December 14th 2016The EPA has established a maximum contaminant level of nitrate-nitrogen in potable water of 10ppm. This application presents results of UV-Vis analysis of nitrate concentrations in water samples, showing that the manual colorimetric method is suitable for analysis of nitrate contamination in water systems.
Variable Angle Reflectance and Transmittance of Thin Film Coatings Using UV-Vis-NIR
June 8th 2016The ability to easily characterize thin films by variable angle transmission and reflection is very important in both the design/development process and in the final production. This note presents the use of UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy to characterize film samples in the full spectral region, from UV to NIR.
Analysis of Highly Mineralized Aqueous Solutions by ICP-AES
May 13th 2016EPA methods 200.7 and 6010 specify ICP; however, analysis of the major components may involve dilution of off-scale peaks, making the analysis more difficult. This work demonstrates a method that uses low-sensitivity analytical lines for the high-concentration major components and high-sensitivity analytical lines for the low-concentration trace components. This eliminates the need for multiple dilutions to get major elements on-scale.
Absolute Total Reflectance Spectra of Very Small Objects using an Integrating Sphere
January 12th 2016Correct positioning of very small samples to acquire accurate spectra can be very challenging. This application note demonstrates an easy-to-fabricate holder that is suitable for many small samples, and shows the measurement of absolute total reflectance using this sample holder.
Contaminant Analysis in the Food Manufacturing Process by EDXRF and FTIR
September 15th 2015Using EDX and FTIR techniques in conjunction with one another permits a more detailed elucidation of contaminant characteristics, thereby enhancing the validity of the respective results. This note presents an example of the analysis of various types of foreign matter entered during the food manufacturing process.
ICP Analysis of Heavy Metals in Toys and Accessories
August 12th 2015The presence of heavy metals such as lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) in toys poses a health risk. These toys and accessories must be evaluated for safety with respect to their content using defined test methods. This note presents an example of high-sensitivity ICP analysis conducted quickly and at low cost.
Measuring the Color of Glass Plates
July 14th 2015Color measurement is important to many industries and the ability to quantify a given color value is very important. One way of achieving this quantitation is by the use of color space analysis. This note demonstrate the measurement of color using two different UV-Vis spectrophotometers, with glass filters used as samples
ICP Analysis of Multiple Elements in Drinking Water
March 16th 2015Typically, there are many target elements included in the testing of drinking water, such as sodium (Na), calcium (Ca), lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd). This note presents how ICPE spectrometry can provide accurate measurement of many elements, from those present at trace levels to those at high concentrations.
Determination of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate in Commercial Body Care Products
September 1st 2014A method for quantifying the percent sulfate associated with sodium lauryl sulfate (also referred to as sodium dodecyl sulfate) and sodium laureth sulfate (also referred to as sodium lauryl ether sulfate) found in commonly used commercial body care products using FT-IR attenuated total reflectance (ATR) spectroscopy is outlined.