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CHROMATOGRAPHY & SPECTROSCOPY


GC/MS and LC/MS Instrumentation for Rapid and Reliable Pesticide Analysis in Food


Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc announced that Conserve Italia, a leading company in the agri-food industry in Europe, is using Thermo Scientific GC/MS and LC/MS systems for fast and reliable pesticide analysis of food products. Conserve Italia processes around 650,000 tons of raw materials each year, including fruits, vegetables and tomatoes and provides the European market with finished goods such as fruit juices, canned vegetables and tomato sauces and purees. The organisation is using the Thermo Scientific TSQ Quantum GC and TSQ Quantum Access Max triple stage quadrupole mass spectrometers to achieve compliance with maximum residue limits (MRLs) specified for pesticides in food. By using the instruments, the laboratory has significantly increased sample throughput as well as experienced substantial time and cost savings.


Pesticide analysis poses a number of challenges for laboratories and operators due to the wide-ranging chemistries within the contaminants and their complex elution. High speed, sensitive and cost-effective analytical instrumentation is required to generate a sufficient number of data points and ensure reliable integration of overlapping chromatographic peaks. Conserve Italia selected the TSQ Quantum GC™ and TSQ Quantum Access Max because of the instruments’ ability to perform rapid and accurate GC/MS and LC/MS pesticide analysis, coping with the laboratory’s extremely high throughput of more than 10,000 samples per year.


Following implementation of the instruments, Conserve Italia has significantly improved productivity and has achieved substantial cost savings. Combining the systems with the QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe) sample preparation method has resulted in pesticide analysis that is three times faster than with previous instruments. The speed of mycotoxin analysis has increased tenfold, reducing the total analysis time to approximately three hours.


Circle no. 17


Multiple Detection GPC System


New Metal GC Columns Deliver Higher Reproducibility for Petrochemical Testing


Phenomenex, Inc introduces the Zebron™ ZB-1XT SimDist – a metal GC column specially designed for simulated distillation analyses in petrochemical applications. The new column features Phenomenex’s unique Glass Infusion™ technology, which ensures consistent phase coating and reproducibility. Zebron ZB-1XT SimDist are rugged and provide documented efficiency gains of up to 70 percent over other comparable metal columns on the market. Every column is individually tested to guarantee quality.


At the American Chemical Society (ACS) Fall 2010 National Meeting & Exposition Malvern Instruments exhibited the Viscotek TDAmax multiple detection gel permeation chromatography (GPC) system together with instruments from the Zetasizer particle characterisation family.


Applications for the Viscotek TDAmax Triple Detector Array (TDA) GPC system from Malvern Instruments have been extended through the inclusion of a new viscometer in the setup. The TDA maximises the productivity of GPC analysis by simultaneously measuring absolute molecular weight, molecular size and intrinsic viscosity. The new viscometer combines unrivalled sensitivity with an innovative 316 stainless steel transducer construction that offers excellent chemical resistance. It therefore provides the most precise intrinsic viscosity and structural information for an expanded range of biomolecules, natural and synthetic polymers.


The unique viscometer design uses digital inert transducer technology to give a faster, more sensitive response to viscosity changes than traditional transducers. Its 316 stainless steel construction means that there are now few limitations, in terms of salt content or pH, on the chromatographic conditions that can be used. The TDAmax enables protein scientists to determine the degree of oligomerisation, aggregation, conformation, and conjugation in protein samples. For polymer scientists it delivers information for sensitive product quality control and process optimization.


Malvern’s award-winning Zetasizer series includes systems that measure particle size, zeta potential and molecular weight. The novel measurement technology and patented optics built into Zetasizer Nano systems for example make them equally applicable to characterising high concentration colloids and nanoparticles of all types, through to measurement of dilute proteins and macromolecules in their native state.


Circle no. 20


Simulated boiling point methods are commonly used in petrochemical analysis to determine the range of hydrocarbons in a sample. These high-temperature distillation methods require resolution greater than 2.0 of C50 and C52, posing a challenge for most columns used in this application. The new Zebron ZB-1XT SimDist column exhibits less than 3.5% loss in resolution after 90 hours at 430°C.


“Traditional metal GC columns used in these applications have exhibited uneven stationary phase bonding, which negatively affects performance and reproducibility,” explained Kory Kelly, GC Product Manager for Phenomenex. “Our proprietary bonding technology ensures consistent quality and each of our new columns is tested individually, rather than in batches.”


Circle no. 18 Method Development and Improvement Challenge


A unique new method development service using HPLC columns at the cutting edge of current technology is being offered by Crawford Scientific to customers within the UK. The technical knowledge base built up by the company over its 25 years existence will be used to improve customers existing separations by whatever criteria they are seeking to obtain improvements. This could be resolution, alternate selectivity, speed of analysis or reduced solvent consumption amongst the possibilities.


Tony Taylor, Crawford’s Technical Director, commented: “We have found by talking to customers that new technologies such as sub- 2µm particles, superficially porous silica and HILIC phases can cause technology or knowledge barriers within organisations to seeing what actual improvements and benefits can be realised by implementing these columns.”


Tony continued: “We are therefore issuing a challenge to customers to submit their existing HPLC method and Crawfords will visits the site with a translated method followed by a live demo using a 25% discount column from our current list. In this way there is minimum disruption or cost to the customer and everything to gain.” Columns on the 25% discount list include SILEC Obelisc™ and Primesep®


mixed mode (HILIC) phases, Agilent Poroshell 120, superficially porous silica column range and the Agilent Zorbax sub-2µm RRHD range. Circle no. 19


ASTM Approves Column Set


Labs testing ethanol-containing finished gasolines now have a better alternative to TCEP columns. At its recent meeting, the ASTM D02 Committee announced a revision to method D3606 which now includes the D3606 column set from Restek. This column set separates benzene from ethanol completely and much more reliably than TCEP columns, resulting in more accurate quantification and tighter process control. Since a third column is not required, use of this column set simplifies installation and analysis. Additionally, all D3606 column sets are tested for method applicability and have higher thermal stability than TCEP columns, resulting in longer column lifetimes.


Circle no. 21


Anytime, Anywhere... Labmate-online.com INTERNATIONAL LABMATE - AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2010 - CHROMATOGRAPHY & SPECTROSCOPY


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