From the Editor
At a symposium attended almost exclusively by practitioners of chromatography, the one thing they all wanted more of was mass spectrometry information.
At LCGC's recent PharmSep Symposium, held in Philadelphia from September 9–11, I heard one piece of advice repeated over and over from various conference-goers: Cover more mass spectrometry next year. I was certainly aware of the prominence of mass spectrometry, both in hyphenated techniques across the disciplines of chromatography and spectroscopy, and also as an independent tool to be used on its own. However, the popularity of this technique was truly brought home to me over the course of this three-day event.
David Walsh
At a symposium attended almost exclusively by practitioners of chromatography, the one thing they all wanted more of was mass spectrometry information. I think this illustrates just how much a part of the fabric of today's analytical laboratory mass spectrometry has become, possibly even more effectively than any poll or survey could. When you hear firsthand testimonials from the people who do the research in the lab every day, the impact is dramatic, and in this case, those people were some of the best and brightest minds in the industry today.
With this in mind, we're happier than ever to bring you this November installment of the Current Trends in Mass Spectrometry supplement series. Inside you'll find articles on the newest and most cutting-edge applications of mass spectrometry from the leading minds in the field. Articles on pesticide analysis in food, consumer beverage analysis, and biomedical advances using mass spectrometry all demonstrate the kind of life-affecting research this technique is enabling every day, research that saves lives and — to use a cliche that is overused but very appropriate — makes our world a better place.
We hope you find this issue useful in your own research, and just as at the PharmSep Symposium those many weeks ago, we welcome and value your feedback, so feel free to contact any of our staff members at the e-mail addresses listed in the masthead.
Enjoy the issue.
David Walsh
Editor-in-Chief
High-Speed Laser MS for Precise, Prep-Free Environmental Particle Tracking
April 21st 2025Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have demonstrated that a fast, laser-based mass spectrometry method—LA-ICP-TOF-MS—can accurately detect and identify airborne environmental particles, including toxic metal particles like ruthenium, without the need for complex sample preparation. The work offers a breakthrough in rapid, high-resolution analysis of environmental pollutants.
The Fundamental Role of Advanced Hyphenated Techniques in Lithium-Ion Battery Research
December 4th 2024Spectroscopy spoke with Uwe Karst, a full professor at the University of Münster in the Institute of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, to discuss his research on hyphenated analytical techniques in battery research.
Mass Spectrometry for Forensic Analysis: An Interview with Glen Jackson
November 27th 2024As part of “The Future of Forensic Analysis” content series, Spectroscopy sat down with Glen P. Jackson of West Virginia University to talk about the historical development of mass spectrometry in forensic analysis.
Detecting Cancer Biomarkers in Canines: An Interview with Landulfo Silveira Jr.
November 5th 2024Spectroscopy sat down with Landulfo Silveira Jr. of Universidade Anhembi Morumbi-UAM and Center for Innovation, Technology and Education-CITÉ (São Paulo, Brazil) to talk about his team’s latest research using Raman spectroscopy to detect biomarkers of cancer in canine sera.
