Authors


A.F. Sauer-Budge

Latest:

Rapid Bacterial Diagnostics Via Surface-Enhanced Raman Microscopy

SERS of bacterial cells can be a useful technique for clinical diagnostics, as illustrated by the analysis of a human urine sample spiked with urinary tract infection bacteria.



Claudio Baiocchi

Latest:

Analysis of Nicotine Alkaloids and Impurities in Liquids for e-Cigarettes by LC–MS, GC–MS, and ICP-MS

The purpose of this study was the development of various analytical MS methods to investigate the chemical composition of e-liquids used in electronic cigarettes and characterize their quality. Low-quality nicotine (the main active compound), glycerol, propylene glycol (solvents), or flavors could greatly increase the toxicity. The search of alkaloid contaminants of nicotine was performed by LC–MS-MS after a deep study of fragmentation pathways by high resolution ESI-MS. A fully validated method for quantitation of organic polar impurities such as cotinine, anabasine, myosmine, nornicotine, and N-nitroso-nornicotine and nicotine itself was developed using MS coupled to UHPLC. To evaluate organic volatile toxicants, headspace from e-cigarette refill liquids was sampled by SPME to perform GC–MS analysis. Finally, heavy metal residues as inorganic toxicants were determined by ICP-MS after simple dilution. A number of cases of contamination by metals (mainly arsenic) was detected.



Beixi Wang

Latest:

Nonconventional Alternatives to LC–MS

An important attribute of a novel ionization process for use in mass spectrometry (MS) is its simplicity and flexibility to be hyphenated to conventional liquid-based separation methods.


Venkateswarlu Panchagnula

Latest:

Rapid and Direct Quantitation of Pharmaceutical Drugs from Urine Using MALDI-MS

An application of MALDI-MS in qualitative and quantitative analysis of pharmaceutical compounds spiked in urine is demonstrated.


Ajeet Singh

Latest:

Rapid and Direct Quantitation of Pharmaceutical Drugs from Urine Using MALDI-MS

An application of MALDI-MS in qualitative and quantitative analysis of pharmaceutical compounds spiked in urine is demonstrated.


Zhaohong Wang

Latest:

Discrimination of Carbonate-Containing and Carbonate-Free Polyvinyl Chloride with Fourier Transform Infrared Microscopy and Raman Spectroscopy

A method is presented using IR and Raman microscopy to discriminate carbonate-containing and carbonate-free PVC that helps forensic scientists trace suspects, avoid wrong certificates of authenticity, and characterize and analyze carbonate components.


Jim Hardy

Latest:

Elemental Analysis Through a Plastic Barrier

Demonstration of the advantages of using the Orbis micro-XRF elemental analyzer rather than other analysis techniques to perform elemental analysis through a plastic barrier and/or at atmospheric pressure.


Mustafa Culha

Latest:

Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering for Biofilm Characterization

A summary of the efforts to study microorganism biofilms using surface-enhanced Raman scattering, a powerful technique for in situ analysis of biological molecules and biomolecular organizations


Meng Zhao

Latest:

Discrimination of Carbonate-Containing and Carbonate-Free Polyvinyl Chloride with Fourier Transform Infrared Microscopy and Raman Spectroscopy

A method is presented using IR and Raman microscopy to discriminate carbonate-containing and carbonate-free PVC that helps forensic scientists trace suspects, avoid wrong certificates of authenticity, and characterize and analyze carbonate components.


E.D. Melnik

Latest:

A Novel Method for Practical Implementation of the Shifted Excitation Raman Difference Spectroscopy (SERDS)

SERDS analysis can be easily and successfully carried out using two high-power laser diodes with a fixed-wavelength separation in the presence of high fluorescence.


Daniel Iverson

Latest:

Microwave Digestion of Pharmaceutical Finished Products and Ingredients for Upcoming USP Method 233

Current USP Method 231 "Heavy Metals" was introduced in 1905 for determining heavy metal impurities in pharmaceutical drug products. The procedures of the method have several limitations, which produce results that are nondiscriminatory, difficult to reproduce, and qualitative, or at best, semi-quantitative.


Mélanie Bédard

Latest:

Quick and Easy Dissolution of Chromite Ores, Ferrochromes, and Chromium Slags for ICP-OES without Using HF or HClO4

A new sodium peroxide fusion method is described, as well as the conditions for inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometry, and a list of the accuracy and precision measurements for all prepared samples.


Jungang Lv

Latest:

Differentiation of Inks Used for Seals by Confocal Raman Microscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared Microscopy

The analysis of seals, mostly via the ink types, can provide evidence to authenticate the related documents and can play a key role in legal cases. In the present study, a method to discriminate red seal inks using Raman microscopy and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy was developed.


Isabel Vandenheede

Latest:

Peptide Mapping of Monoclonal Antibodies and Antibody–Drug Conjugates Using Micro-Pillar Array Columns Combined with Mass Spectrometry

The structural complexity of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) challenges the capabilities of even the most advanced chromatography and mass spectrometry techniques. This study examines the use of micro-pillar array columns in combination with mass spectrometry for peptide mapping of both mAbs and antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs).


Nancy Lewen

Latest:

Preparation of Pharmaceutical Samples for Elemental Impurities Analysis: Some Potential Approaches

The use of atomic spectroscopy techniques and sample preparation procedures is something that is not as routine in the pharmaceutical industry as are chromatography-based techniques and sample preparation procedures. With new requirements being implemented regarding elemental impurities by the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP) and International Conference on Harmonization (ICH), analysts in the pharmaceutical industry are, in many cases, working to determine how best to analyze their samples. Sample preparation techniques that can be used for pharmaceutical samples are the same ones that have been used by other industries for many years. This paper will provide a brief overview of potential techniques.


Joaquim A. Nóbrega

Latest:

Determination of Rare Earth Elements in Geological and Agricultural Samples by ICP-OES

This method demonstrates that ICP-OES is a suitable alternative to ICP-MS for the determination of rare earth elements in geological and agricultural samples


Nivedita Bhattacharya

Latest:

Rapid and Direct Quantitation of Pharmaceutical Drugs from Urine Using MALDI-MS

An application of MALDI-MS in qualitative and quantitative analysis of pharmaceutical compounds spiked in urine is demonstrated.


Jason D. Keith

Latest:

Microwave Digestion of Pharmaceutical Samples for USP Method

Pharmaceutical samples spiked with several heavy metals were prepared for ICP-MS analysis using microwave digestion following the protocols in proposed USP chapters <232> and <233>. The results of the spike recovery study are discussed.


Bruce Scruggs

Latest:

Improved Sensitivity with the New Apollo XRF ML-50 Detector on the Orbis Micro-XRF Analyzer

The measurement of trace elements is important across a wide variety of materials characterization problems. When measuring small glass fragments collected from crime and accident scenes, forensics experts analyze trace strontium (Sr) and zirconium (Zr) typically unintentionally incorporated into the glass during manufacturing as one point of identification or comparison.


Turan Erdogan

Latest:

Molecular Spectroscopy Workbench: Thin-Film Filters for Raman Spectroscopy (PDF)

Recent advances in thin-film filter technology have enabled dramatic improvements in the performance of filters for laser-based analytical instrumentation.



V.S. Ban

Latest:

A Novel Method for Practical Implementation of the Shifted Excitation Raman Difference Spectroscopy (SERDS)

SERDS analysis can be easily and successfully carried out using two high-power laser diodes with a fixed-wavelength separation in the presence of high fluorescence.


Ronald E. Majors

Latest:

New Chromatography Columns and accessories

This month's installment of "Column Watch" comprises Part II of our yearly report on new products introduced at Pittcon. Gas chromatography columns, sample preparation products, and hardware, accessories, and small tabletop instruments mainly for sample preparation are covered.


W. R. Premasiri

Latest:

Rapid Bacterial Diagnostics Via Surface-Enhanced Raman Microscopy

SERS of bacterial cells can be a useful technique for clinical diagnostics, as illustrated by the analysis of a human urine sample spiked with urinary tract infection bacteria.


Esen Efeoglu

Latest:

Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering for Biofilm Characterization

A summary of the efforts to study microorganism biofilms using surface-enhanced Raman scattering, a powerful technique for in situ analysis of biological molecules and biomolecular organizations



C. Kozma

Latest:

Observing the Solar Spectrum at House of Science

Analysis of the temperature of the photosphere and determine the temperature by students using CCD spectrometers.


Jeff Forsberg

Latest:

Mercury Determination in Tuna, CRM 463 by USDA Method CLG-MERC1.01 Using the QuickTrace® M-7600 CVAAS Mercury Analyzer

Teledyne Leeman Labs QuickTrace® M7600 was used to analyze and determine total elemental mercury (Hg0) concentration in Tuna (CRM 463) following the guidance in USDA Method CLG-MERC1.01 and the operating conditions.