April 2nd 2025
Using LIBS, infrared, and Raman spectroscopic techniques scientists detect quartz and hydrated silica, hinting at past Martian water activity and potential biosignatures
Investigating Forensics Applications of Raman Spectroscopy, ATR FT-IR, and Chemometrics
December 10th 2021As forensic analysis continues to advance, such as in the understanding of source identification and analysis of trace quantities of bodily fluids, spectroscopic techniques and machine learning are playing a significant role. Igor K. Lednev, a chemistry professor at the University at Albany, SUNY, in Albany, New York, has been working in this field with his team. The analytical methods currently under investigation include Raman spectroscopy, attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR FT-IR) spectroscopy, and advanced chemometric classification and analysis methods. We recently interviewed him about his work.
Spreadsheets: A Sound Foundation for a Lack of Data Integrity?
September 1st 2020Spreadsheets are often used to perform GMP-related calculations, but can lead to serious problems and unnecessary risk. We explain why the use of spreadsheets is heavily discouraged in a regulated laboratory environment.
A Survey of Chemometric Methods Used in Spectroscopy
August 1st 2020We provide a scorecard of chemometric techniques used in spectroscopy. The tables and lists of reference sources given here provide an indispensable resource for anyone seeking guidance on understanding chemometric methods or choosing the most suitable approach for a given analysis problem.
Book Review: Chemometrics in Spectroscopy, 2nd Edition, by Howard Mark and Jerry Workman, Jr.
November 1st 2019Chemometrics in Spectroscopy is a collection of column articles that the authors published in Spectroscopy over a period spanning more than two decades. Each article is generally arranged as a chapter in the book, and chapters dealing with the same or similar topics are arranged closely as a section block rather than following the original sequence in the magazine. Although each article or series of articles only discusses one specific topic, collectively, the articles form a comprehensive reference that is a valuable source for readers wanting to learn chemometrics, especially with its applications in spectroscopy.
More About CLS, Part 1: Expanding the Concept
June 1st 2019A newly discovered effect can introduce large errors in many multivariate spectroscopic calibration results. The CLS algorithm can be used to explain this effect. Having found this new effect that can introduce large errors in calibration results, an investigation of the effects of this phenomenon to calibrations using principal component regression (PCR) and partial least squares (PLS) is examined.
Calibration Transfer Chemometrics, Part I: Review of the Subject
October 1st 2017Calibration transfer involves multiple strategies and mathematical techniques for applying a single calibration database to two or more instruments. Here, we explain the methods to modify the spectra or regression vectors to correct differences between instruments.
Optimizing the Regression Model: The Challenge of Intercept–Bias and Slope “Correction”
July 1st 2015The archnemesis of calibration modeling and the routine use of multivariate models for quantitative analysis in spectroscopy is the confounded bias or slope adjustments that must be continually implemented to maintain calibration prediction accuracy over time. A perfectly developed calibration model that predicted well on day one suddenly has to be bias adjusted on a regular basis to pass a simple bias test when predicted values are compared to reference values at a later date. Why does this problem continue to plague researchers and users of chemometrics and spectroscopy?
Statistics and Chemometrics for Clinical Data Reporting, Part I
June 1st 2009This article describes the application of chemometric methods and statistics for reporting clinical quantitative measurement methods. The equations and terminology are consistent with the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. These chemometric and statistical methods describe the accuracy and precision of a test method compared to a reference method for a single analyte determination. Part I will introduce these concepts and Part II will discuss the statistical underpinnings in greater detail.
The Long, Complicated, Tedious, and Difficult Route to Principal Components: Part VI
February 1st 2009This column is a continuation of the set we have been working on to explain and derive the equations behind principal components (1–5). As we usually do, when we continue the discussion of a topic through more than one column, we continue the numbering of equations from where we left off.