by Robert L. Stevenson
Conference Review
Sample Processing at Pittcon® 2014 T
he tenfold increase in speed for the analytics (GC, HPLC, and SFC [supercriti- cal fluid chromatography], all with MS) over the last decade has shifted the choke point in many workflows from analytics to “preanalytics.” Several firms have responded with automated sample processing products that save time and improve data quality. Below is a review of products for sample processing shown at Pittcon® 2014.
SoluPrep II system Design Scientific
(Holland, MI; www.
designscientific.com) points out that the de- mand for greater accuracy from analytical instru- ments has prompted the automating of sample preparation based on the much more accurate “solvent weight” to “sample weight” basis. The SoluPrep II accomplishes this by automatically preparing samples for liquid chromatography, ICP, spectroscopy, viscosity, NMR and other analyses.
The SoluPrep II improves laboratory sample- solution preparation by offering the following advantages. Standards or sample solutions are prepared to an accuracy of 0.02%, be it weight/ weight, normal, molal, or molar.
An approximate amount of solid sample is dis- solved in the exact weight of diluent. Typically, process times are less than 2 min/sample. The SoluPrep quickly pays for itself in labor savings if the sample load is larger than 100 to 200 samples/ day. Perhaps the biggest factor is the improved precision, which is a measure of data quality that is delivered by reducing human variability, including technician 1 and technician 2. Plus the SoluPrep prints self-adhesive labels for the container. A detailed report on the each sample is retained and may be copied to external data processors.
Discover SP-X automated microwave extraction system
It seems that CEM’s (Matthews, NC; www.cem. com) solution to lab protocols involving heating is to microwave it. The firm has a wide range of products including a peptide synthesizer, an- other unit for ashing, and several for digestion and extraction.
Microwave digestion is often popular due to low solvent consumption and short processing times. CEM introduced the Discover SP-X au- tomated microwave extraction system, which sequentially processes 10-, 35-, and 80-mL vials. A floor-mounted infrared sensor assures consis- tent and accurate temperature measurement from vial to vial. The materials of construction are compatible with all solvents. An automa- tion deck provides unattended operation. The SP-X is particularly optimized for removing organics such as plastic additives (stabilizers, an- tioxidants, etc.) plus oils and pesticide residues in solid foods. An optional 24-place automation deck enables “load it and leave it” operation.
Flexa™ modular
purification components Bonna-Agela Technologies (Wilmington, DE;
www.bonnaagela.com) introduced Flexa™ mod- ular purification components for automated sample prep and lab-scale prep with low-pres- sure LC. Modules include standalone pumps for gradient elution, absorbance, evaporative light scattering and refractive index detectors, and fraction collectors. Pumps are capable of metered flow from 1 to 100 mL/min with a Pmax of 200 psi. All are controlled by a highly intuitive Cheetah™ software controller for each module in the system.
Pressurized SPE systems Fluid Management Systems (FMS, Watertown,
MA;
www.fms-inc.com) introduced two new modular systems for rapid, automated solid- phase extraction (SPE). TurboTrace™ automates the sample prep workflow, including extraction, drying, and concentration and delivery to a 2-mL sample vial. The modular design facilitates run- ning up to eight processing stations in parallel.
Moving down in price a bit, the FMS EconoTrace™ is an automated SPE system optimized for economical processing of samples or assay of or- ganic analytes such as dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in drinking water. Sample volumes can range from 10 mL to 4 L.
AMERICAN LABORATORY • 21 • MAY 2014
Dried blood spot analysis
Automated dried blood spot processor Three firms introduced novel technology for dried blood spots (DBS). Spark Holland (Emmen, The Netherlands;
www.sparkholland.com) and Gerstel (Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany; www.
gerstel.com) cooperated in developing an inte- grated automated DBS processor. Blood spots are deposited on the card in the usual manner. For analysis, Spark developed a novel, patented Flow-Through Desorption (FTD) protocol. The card is clamped between two plates that deliver and collect desorption liquid with the analytes. LC/MS usually completes the protocol. Gerstel was the first to announce an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) agreement with Spark for the DBS unit.
DBS-MS 500 dried blood spot system For almost 50 years, CAMAG (Muttenz, Switzerland;
www.camag.com) has been a lead- ing proponent of thin layer chromatography (TLC). This year, CAMAG introduced the DBS-MS 500 dried blood spot system for LC/MS. About 15 μL of blood is spotted on four positions on the card and dried. Upon arrival in the lab, the card is placed in a card rack, and the automated DBS-MS 500 takes over and reads the card’s barcode i.d., applies an internal standard (if needed), extracts the spot in the flow-through mode, and loads the sample loop of the LC/MS for analysis. The %CV for the DBS-MS 500 for 560 consecutive rep- licates was 2.8% compared to 4.6% for manual punch and elute protocol.
Noviplex™ next-generation plasma sample collection tool
Shimadzu Scientific Instruments (Columbia, MD;
www.ssi.shimadzu.com) and Novilytic Labs (North Webster, IN;
www.novilytic.com) introduced the Noviplex™ next-generation plasma sample collection tool for LC-MS/MS of dried plasma from a fingerstick. This avoids phle- botomy and blood collection tubes. One applies a skin prick (~50–75 μL) of blood to the surface of the card. Plasma solution passes through a sandwich of membranes, which spread and filter the blood, delivering plasma to a 2.5-μL
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44