Lab Manager Magazine^®

Tunneling into Topography

Published: May 8 2013

In contrast to radiation-based optical and electron microscopy, scanning probe microscopy (SPM) employs an atomically fine mechanical probe that scans across a surface and moves along the z-axis under the influence of weak atomic forces on the sample or the tunneling force of electrons emitted from the tip. The two main scanning probe techniques are atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Both have many variants, but all share the common characteristic of creating a 3-D surface map based on topography, electrical modulus, elasticity modulus, contact, strain, density, and many others.

State of the Technique: Melding of Methods

Published: May 8 2013

Microscopy encompasses a wide range of techniques. There are dozens of ways to dice and slice this marketplace: visible, ultraviolet, infrared, X-ray, Raman, 2-D, 3-D, electron microscopy, fluorescence, confocal, and probe-based are the most common, each having numerous variants. Instrument and method abbreviations arguably make up the most confusing “alphabet soup” in all of analytical science. According to data from Companies & Markets, microscopes and accessories were a $3.2 billion market in 2011. With expected compound annual growth of five percent, the research firm estimates the 2016 market at $4.1 billion. For microscopes alone the figures are $2.7 billion in 2011 sales and $3.4 billion in 2016.

Spectroscopy to the Scope

Published: May 8 2013

UV and visible microscopy “see” electronic transitions inside highly absorbing molecules that contain aromatic rings or highly conjugated carbon-carbon double bonds and carbonyl groups. Ellen V. Miseo, PhD, scientific marketing manager at Analytical Answers (Woburn, MA), explains that, as with their nonmicroscopic counterparts, UV and visible microscopy confirm chemical characteristics but lack granularity. “UV and visible spectra are big lumps that work best when you know what you’re looking for.”

Pushing the Boundaries

Published: May 8 2013

Optical, or light, microscopy systems are the most familiar. They range from plastic, schoolquality systems providing 10-100x magnification to research-grade instruments costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. All optical microscopes employ glass lenses, visible light illumination, and, in imaging mode, a digital camera to capture reflected or transmitted light. Microscopes operating in the ultraviolet and near- to mid-infrared regions (contiguous with visible wavelengths) work similarly.

Product Focus: Laboratory Gas Generators

Published: May 8 2013

Laboratory gases serve a variety of purposes, from inert barriers for lab operations and instruments to consumption in analytical processes. On-demand gas generators have been around for decades, but the high cost of helium—the one-time gas of choice for gas chromatography mobile phases—has caused many laboratories to reconsider how all their gases are acquired, stored, and used.

Product Focus: Mass Spectrometers

Published: May 2 2013

Everyone understands the maxim “garbage in, garbage out.” For most analytical methods, sample preparation is a given, an inextricable workflow component. The more careful the sample preparation, the greater the chance that the instrument will return a result that, if not exactly the desired one, is at least true.

Product Focus: Sample Preparation for Chromatography

Published: April 8 2013

Product Focus: Microwave Digestion

Published: April 8 2013

Measurement for the Masses

Published: April 8 2013

One trend evident in science generally, and for laboratories in particular, is the desire to do things faster, more reliably and economically, at a higher level of hardware and method robustness, and all with a less-specialized workforce. This is especially true of mass spectrometry, where users no longer need a Ph.D. to operate MS systems.

Late Bloomer Now a Driver

Published: April 8 2013

Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies have become leading MS customers. Because they work with human and test animal biological fluids and low-dose drugs, sample preparation takes center stage. Many of these workflows are automated for both sample and standards preparation.

Future: The Shrinking Mass Spectrometer

Published: April 8 2013

Q&A with Dave Rafferty, President and CTO at 1st Detect (Houston, TX)

Critical Analytical Workflow Component

Published: April 8 2013

Sample preparation reduces sample complexity and renders samples into a format amenable to downstream analysis. Sample prep is most necessary for complex, multicomponent samples containing substances that interfere either with the MS (e.g., through ion suppression) or, in GC/LC-MS, the chromatography.

Care, Service, Maintenance - What to Expect

Published: April 8 2013

Because modern mass spectrometers are based on solid-state electronics, they do not suffer from the mechanical and electronic problems of yesterday’s instruments. According to one expert, the top service-related issue today is an unintended consequence of instrument sensitivity and stability.

Back End to GC, LC

Published: April 8 2013

MS originated as a stand-alone technique for volatile compounds. Next came the ability to volatilize high molecular weight materials through heating. The emergence of electron-impact ionization MS was a natural, as GC analysis requires volatilization. Find out what the future of MS holds.

A Q&A with Select Mass Spectroscopy Experts

Published: April 8 2013

In this month’s edition of INSIGHTS our panel of four experts discusses the types of MS analyses and experiments they run and the top factors they consider when buying MS instrumentation. We also explore the trend of the shrinking mass spectrometer in a Q & A sidebar with 1st Detect president and CTO Dave Rafferty.

Product Focus: Microplate Handlers

Published: April 2 2013

Most Exciting Time Since Abbe

Published: March 9 2013

Microscopy is evolving toward greater functionality and capabilities. The Auriga FIB SEM platform from Carl Zeiss (Thornwood, NY) has been around for 11 years yet undergoes constant improvement. The system combines two distinct technologies: scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and focused ion beam (FIB). SEM’s capability of providing very high-resolution surface analysis is well known in the life sciences, materials, and semiconductor industries. SEM provides detail significantly beyond the diffraction limit of light microscopy, illuminating structures and events down to about 1nm.

More Than Just Power Supplies

Published: March 5 2013

Since standard laboratory equipment contains its own individually designed power supplies that plug into standard electrical outlets, many labs rarely use external power supplies—mostly for specialty applications, instrument testing, and design.

Fifth Annual Investment Confidence Report

Published: March 4 2013

Lab Manager Magazine’s 2012 Investment Confidence Survey, conducted in late Q4 2012, revealed a slight increase in optimism compared with the end-of-year 2011 survey. The good news is that on average survey takers were no more pessimistic than they were a year ago. Sixty-three percent of respondents indicated a managerial or supervisory role, compared with scientific or engineering job titles at 23.4% and technician or “other” at 13.6%. Figure 2 illustrates the percentage of respondents falling into various technical disciplines. R&D, QC, operations, and technical services were by far the leading categories, comprising 74.7% of all respondents.

Old Solution to New Analysis Problems

Published: January 30 2013

Refractometers come in all sizes, shapes, capabilities, and prices

Making the Business Case: Preparing Exact Concentrations in Just the Right Quantities

Published: January 30 2013

Arguing against lab automation is becoming more difficult, particularly for sample prep. With reagents and solvents costing what they do, a business case based on direct cost savings for critical materials stands on its own.

Introduction: Consistency, Economy, Error Reduction, and Freedom From Routine are Common Drivers

Published: January 30 2013

Sample preparation (“prep”) is a tedious, time-consuming task but a necessary part of nearly every analytical workflow, regardless of industry or laboratory type.

Diversity: Improved Sample Prep Speed and Accuracy Depend Upon Workflow

Published: January 30 2013

A comprehensive review of sample preparation would require a multivolume work. Beyond that, covering the possible number of workflows given the hundreds of potential “unit operations” would fill an encyclopedia, especially when solids (rock, soil, animal tissue) are considered.

Caveats: Limitations of Sample Prep Systems Vary by Instrument Type and Sample

Published: January 30 2013

Despite protestations to the contrary, automation is not something to undertake casually. Due to the dizzying array of possibilities and workflows, the technology has not yet achieved the simplicity of consumer products.

Central Component for Lab Automation

Published: January 27 2013

Automated liquid handling (ALH) is arguably the main attraction in life sciences laboratory automation.

Connectivity, Compliance Leading Features

Published: January 24 2013

Markus Jansons, product manager for weighing at A&D Weighing (San Jose, CA), correctly notes that analytical balances are a mature product category and that “everybody has one.”

What to Expect, Trends, and Energy Considerations

Published: December 10 2012

Laboratory designs are big projects that normally arise from necessity. Of new construction, expansions, and retrofits, greenfield projects cost the most and take the most time, while the latter two consume fewer resources but present varying degrees of disruption. A lab or facility manager’s involvement in laboratory design and build depends on his or her experience with design, architecture, and building trades. Typically, the relationship between “builders” and “owners” is consultative, but as we will see, more hands-on approaches are possible. This topic could fill an encyclopedia and still not exhaust even straightforward considerations such as budgets, equipment, construction codes, regulations, and the myriad designations and certifications. Here we will focus on what to expect, trends, and energy considerations. Since design/build is a project or process, we include three case studies, as well as a Q&A with managers who have recently gone through design projects.

Three Case Studies : Laboratory Expansion

Published: December 10 2012

Here we explore three case studies on laboration expansion at an emerging metro-Boston biotech company, a small biophotonics R&D lab, and laboratories at the University of California, Irvine; showing how they dealt with the challenges they faced.

Starting Out: Designing for the Unknown

Published: December 10 2012

Securing project funds is the first step in the process, and an initial “visioning” workshop with the core team is a good way to establish a budget, notes Mark Paskanik, senior associate at Perkins+Will (Cary, NC). “The visioning workshop helps to align the team members and build consensus on goals.” Once this scope is defined, project managers may leverage business strategies already in place to begin selling the idea to the board or steering team that is usually responsible for establishing or approving the initial budget. “Many times, when there is not enough focus on this first step, the project will not have enough momentum or buy-in to go forward.”

Product Focus: GCXGC - Systems for Comprehensive 2D Chromatography

Published: December 10 2012

Comprehensive two-dimensional GC (GCxGC) is a powerful gas chromatographic technique that uses two columns to achieve separations of complex mixtures that would not be possible with a single column.

Product Focus: Baths and Chillers - Product and Technology Roundup: Hold the Decibels

Published: December 10 2012

Instrument noise, particularly from cooling devices, can take its toll on laboratory workers. “Chillers can be quite noisy,” observes Bob Bausone of PolyScience (Niles, IL).

Green Lab Design : Mostly About Air

Published: December 10 2012

Since energy and natural resource consumption are huge components of a lab’s operating expenses, no lab design today ignores “green” issues.

The Heart of the Matter

Published: November 9 2012

Capillary columns have changed the face of GC since their introduction about 35 years ago. The most obvious change involves resolving power: up to 50,000 theoretical plates on a 30-m capillary versus 1500 on a six-foot packed column.

Still the Workhorse for Organic Chemical Analysis

Published: November 9 2012

Despite steadily losing ground to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) over the years, particularly for polar compounds, gas chromatography (GC) remains one of the more rapid and efficient chromatographic methods.

Q&A with Select Gas Chromatography Experts

Published: November 9 2012

This month Lab Manager Magazine poses four questions on GC usage, likes, and dislikes to a panel of five experts

Options Range from OEM Support to Do-It-Yourself

Published: November 9 2012

The proverbial “ounce of prevention” goes a long way toward preventing serious GC downtime. Keeping up with routine maintenance is the secret to ensuring that scheduled maintenance downtime occurs on the lab’s terms, not by fickle fate.

Mass Spectrometry Today : Fast-Growing, Innovative, But Still Somewhat Enigmatic

Published: November 9 2012

The mass spectrometry (MS) market continues to be one of the fastest-growing areas of analytical instrumentation. MS’s growing popularity can be explained by its ability to provide, in many cases, verifiable molecular weights and thereby positive identification of known molecules.

It Comes Down to Specificity and Available Sample Prep Time

Published: November 9 2012

Thermo Fisher’s Eric Phillips, describes the adoption of MS detectors in GC as a “technology shift” that began with single-quad MS as an alternative to standard GC detection modes.

GC Columns: The Heart of a GC System

Published: November 9 2012

Gas chromatography (GC) has experienced significant changes over the past 40 years, some technology based and others driven by specific applications.

Bringing the Lab to the Plant

Published: November 9 2012

Process GC involves the deployment of rugged, reliable gas chromatographs in demanding process environments. Where traditional sampling and analysis occurs off-site in analytical laboratories, process GC brings the “lab” to the production site, providing realtime product analysis.

A Solid Chain of Custody is the Top Priority

Published: October 19 2012

After applications and processes, workflow optimization is the primary consideration when setting up a cell culture lab. Workflow relates to how samples and cultures move through the lab, the number of operations going on simultaneously, and chain of custody. “Particularly with cell culture, having a tight understanding of where and how things move through the facility protects you against cross-contamination and enables troubleshooting for unusual or unexpected occurrences,” says Bryan Monroe, principal at Primus Consulting (Kingston, WA). Primus advises on cell culture facility design, process scaleup, and technology transfer. “Lacking that understanding makes it difficult to see how and why things are not going right with equipment, reagents, and everything affecting your process.” Companies that overlook these issues will regret it later, Monroe adds. “A solid chain of custody is a top priority.”

Usage and Layout Optimized to Workflows is Critical

Published: October 6 2012

Isolating facility and layout from equipment during planning and maintenance of a cell culture lab
entails considerable risk, if for no other reason than the latter must fit into the former.

Starting Them Up, Keeping Them Running

Published: October 6 2012

Cell culture incorporates diverse, broad-ranging
operations for maintaining, expanding,
and utilizing cells grown outside their natural
milieu. All forms of cell culture share common
operations, but the term “cell culture” has come to
denote cultures derived from multicell, eukaryotic
(possessing nuclei) organisms such as humans,
animals, and, less commonly, insects. Bacterial
and yeast cultures are often referred to as
fermentations, the biological process through
which beer (by yeast) and yogurt (bacteria)
are manufactured. Fermentations tend to be
of shorter duration than cell cultures because
bacteria and yeast can double every 30 minutes,
while animal cells take up to 24 hours to divide.

Simple Changes in Lab Policy Could Reduce Contamination Significantly

Published: October 6 2012

Contamination, the bane of cell culture work, occurs at every level, from high school labs using Petri dishes to large-scale manufacturing plants. Given the ubiquity of microorganisms, saying that contamination is inevitable is not an understatement.

Product Focus: UV-Vis Spectrophotometry

Published: October 6 2012

Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometry is arguably the most common as well as one of the oldest forms of absorption-based analysis. UV and visible regions of the electromagnetic spectrum are contiguous: UV wavelengths range from 10 to 4000 angstroms; they are visible from 4000 to 7000 angstroms.

Product Focus: Mass Spectrometers

Published: October 6 2012

Mass spectrometry (MS) has not quite become a routine acquisition for every lab that might benefit from it. Nor are MS instruments yet capable of serving routine users and experimenters equally well. But the characteristics and performance of instrumentation serving highand low-end applications overlap more now than ever.

Product Focus: IT for Gene Sequencing

Published: October 6 2012

Handling the Exponential Growth in Raw and Processed Genetic Data Gene sequencing is all about data—3.2 gigabytes for a single human genome, with several times that for making raw sequences relevant to real-world problems. Mining the genome for medical intelligence multiplies the data “crunch” for gene sequencers and value-added services that annotate gene sequences for their relevance to protein and metabolite concentrations, and to both diseased and healthy states.

Product Focus: HPLC Columns

Published: October 6 2012

Liquid chromatographers have a wealth of choices when it comes to columns and systems: HILIC, chiral, mixed mode, supercritical fluid (SCF), normal phase, ion exchange. But the pharmaceutical industry’s influence on LC products is such that reversephase (predominantly C18 and C8) remains the most popular chromatography mode “by a large margin,” says Denis Boudriau, product specialist at SiliCycle (Quebec, Canada).

INSIGHTS ON A CELL CULTURE LAB : A SOLID CHAIN OF CUSTODY IS THE TOP PRIORITY

Published: October 6 2012

After applications and processes, workflow optimization is the primary consideration when setting up a cell culture lab. Workflow relates to how samples and cultures move through the lab, the number of operations going on simultaneously, and chain of custody. “Particularly with cell culture, having a tight understanding of where and how things move through the facility protects you against cross-contamination and enables troubleshooting for unusual or unexpected occurrences,” says Bryan Monroe, principal at Primus Consulting (Kingston, WA). Primus advises on cell culture facility design, process scaleup, and technology transfer. “Lacking that understanding makes it difficult to see how and why things are not going right with equipment, reagents, and everything affecting your process.” Companies that overlook these issues will regret it later, Monroe adds. “A solid chain of custody is a top priority.”

Cell Productivity and Performance Depend on Media Quality and Consistency

Published: October 6 2012

As Canadian scholar Marshall McLuhan famously noted, “The medium is the message.” So it is with cell culture, where media and feed or supplementation strategies have been responsible for more improvement in cell productivity and performance than any other factors. Since cells receive all their nutrition from the medium, optimizing this critical factor is a top priority for both end-users and media vendors.

Product Focus: Thermal Analyzers

Published: September 7 2012

Eclectic Techniques Measure Thermal Properties Thermal analysis is the broad category of at least 20 techniques that measure some fundamental property of matter as a result of adding heat. For example, dilatometry measures volume changes upon

Product Focus: Microplate Readers

Published: September 7 2012

Microplate technology has thrived thanks to the desire to avoid radioactive assays and the need to measure more samples faster, at lower volumes, and in parallel. Analysis software, nonradioactive assays, and robotics (e.g., plate handling,

IT resources required for some features, minimal upkeep for others

Published: September 7 2012

LIMS and ELNs do not pose care and upkeep problems that an IT administrator does not encounter with any database system: performing data backups, building in redundancy, and having a plan for power outages. Web-based systems entail no maintenance at

Consider a LIMS or ELN Replacement or Upgrade Carefully

Published: September 7 2012

Collaborative research is one of the justifications cited most often for acquiring lab data software. While such “soft” benefits are difficult to quantify, the “hard” benefits are easy to measure, after some digging.

A Q&A with select laboratory data management system expert end users

Published: September 7 2012

Q: What kind of information systems do you use? What is your general impression of these products? A: Gijsbert Woudenberg: We work with many toxic compounds, including chemical warfare agents and toxic industrial chemicals. Our company inherited

A close look at LIMS and ELNS

Published: September 7 2012

Laboratories are awash in data. The two main data management packages in use today are laboratory information management systems (LIMS) for structured data such as pH values or sample weights and electronic laboratory notebooks (ELNs) for

Product Focus: Titrators

Published: July 9 2012

Titrators are basic laboratory tools that add solutions of one reagent to solutions of another with varying degrees of precision. Labs employ titrators mostly in analytic mode to measure concentrations of analytes. Labs also use titration to prepare

Product Focus: High-Purity Laboratory Water Systems

Published: July 9 2012

PRODUCT FOCUS: High-Purity Laboratory Water Systems Every laboratory requires high-quality water. Many labs or their parent organizations maintain dedicated plants to transform municipal water into a product lab managers can trust for routine

Electronic Laboratory Notebooks: Convergence of Data, Instrument Systems

Published: June 6 2012

The consulting group Atrium Research defines an electronic laboratory notebook (ELN) as “a secure system that assembles content from multiple sources that are related to each other, allows for contextual annotation, and packages in a legally

It’s Not Only About Throughput

Published: May 9 2012

Automated liquid handling (ALH) grew from the highthroughput needs of medical diagnostic labs in the late 1980s through the 1990s and then received an additional boost from genomic sequencing. As it evolved from a specialized, expert-driven instrument system to a generalized laboratory workstation, ALH has become more accessible to more workers in more labs.

HPLC Systems: Employment Trends, Modularity, UHPLC, and New Life for Liquid CO2

Published: May 9 2012

Many labs today face downsizing, a trend that began before the economic downturn of 2008. “Employers are more likely to retain analytical scientists who can not only press buttons and achieve the appropriate results, but who can also quickly

How to keep your ALH running smoothly

Published: May 9 2012

Service and maintenance for liquid handling equipment are approximately the same as for a liquid chromatography system, but the type of service differs. All vendors offer typical levels of on-site service, with premium plans including preventive

Going Automated Means More Consistency and Freedom

Published: May 9 2012

For companies processing hundreds or thousands of plates per day, one could build a business case for switching to an automated pipetting system on throughput alone. Robots are faster and less expensive to feed and care for than humans are. These

Full Spectrum DNA Measurements in low volume Samples, Microplates, and Cuvettes using the SpectroStar NaNo

Published: May 9 2012

Describe how ultra-fast, full spectrum DNA measurements are performed on the SPECTROstar Nano in three different volume formats: microplates, cuvettes, and low volume samples. INTRODUCTIONS: Most substances in solution absorb light at a

A Q&A with Select Automated Liquid Handling Expert End-Users

Published: May 9 2012

OUR EXPERTS: Alex Michel Ph.D., Principal Research Associate, Genzyme Corp., Waltham, MA Luigi Francesco Covelli, Microbiologist, Medimmune, Mountain View, CA Hugo M. Oliveira Ph.D., University of Porto, Porto, Portugal Hardik B.

Product Focus: Glove Boxes - Essential

Published: April 11 2012

Glove boxes are specialty enclosures that allow tight control over experimental conditions. Sizes range from less than five to several hundred cubic feet. Glove boxes are unique among lab enclosures. Unlike fume hoods, which are

Product Focus: Live Cell Imaging - Microscopy in Real Time

Published: March 7 2012

Live cell imaging is made possible by a confluence of advances in imaging, computing, microscopy, and reagent technologies, connected by a deeper understanding and appreciation for cellular processes. Cell imaging has become one of the

Product Focus: Laboratory Shakers - Established Technology With Continuous Design Innovation

Published: March 7 2012

The wide variety of lab-shaker designs on the market reflects the increasing diversity of scientific experimentation. Labs now use a greater range of sample sizes than ever before, from liters to microliters. And while replicate and combinatorial studies increase the number of samples, requirements for environmental control create yet a third dimension that shaker designers must consider.

Product Focus: Laboratory Filtration - Application-Driven, Top-Down Market

Published: March 7 2012

As a mature market, filtration moves forward incrementally through improvements in filter media and housings. “Developments are more on the application side than on the product side,” notes Karen Storm, director of sales and marketing at

Product Focus: Flow Cytometry - Specialist Technique Becomes More Accessible

Published: March 7 2012

Although flow cytometry first appeared (as fluorescence-assisted cell sorting) in the late 1970s, the last three years have seen a surge of innovation in instrumentation and applications. A primary factor in this renaissance has been

A Q & A with Select HPLC Expert End-Users

Published: February 21 2012

Our Experts: Mary Snider, Chemist, Catalent Pharma Solutions, Somerset, NJ Prof. Richmond Sarpong, Ph.D., Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley David Norris, President, David Norris Analytical, Kent, UK Liang

What it Takes to Run HPLC/UHPLC

Published: January 20 2012

Although by no means the only operational issue involved in HPLC, cost of ownership is something everyone considers and ultimately comes to grips with. Cost of ownership for an HPLC system is complicated by several factors, for example operational ro

To Upgrade or not to Upgrade?

Published: January 20 2012

Nowhere is the controversy over instrument upgrades more animated than in HPLC, or more correctly, in the debate over switching from HPLC to UHPLC. Before delving into that controversy, it is useful to note that more users than ever view upgradeabili

The More it Matures the Better it Gets

Published: January 20 2012

Unlike many other mature analytical technologies, HPLC seems to have entered a period of intense innovation and competition. During the last decade we have witnessed the debut and evolution of ultra high-performance LC (UHPLC), widespread adoption of

Stirrers: Agitating Samples the Right Way

Published: January 20 2012

Laboratory stirring and mixing are carried out by either magnetic stirrers (including hot-plate models), table-type agitators and shakers, shaker-incubators, or overhead stirrers. All have their niches. “Stirrers are laboratory staples that

Refractometers: Innovating Around the Edges

Published: January 20 2012

Refractometers are analytical instruments that measure the refractive index (RI) of liquids. Physicists define RI as the ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum divided by its speed through a test medium. Any substance that is denser than a vacuum&md

Microplate Handlers: Automation Enabler For Microplate Operations

Published: January 20 2012

Microplate handlers are specialized robotic devices that transfer microtiter plates in three-dimensional space from one location within a workflow to another. The “locations” are actually operations such as solvent addition (through liquid handling), aspiration, heating, shaking, incubation, washing, reading, and storage.

Automated Liquid Handling: Precision, Small Volumes Predominating

Published: January 20 2012

“In an era of limited research dollars, customers are looking for value and a more secure investment,” says Merja Mehto, product manager for automated liquid handling at Thermo Fisher Scientific. For automated liquid handlers (ALHs), that

Analytical Balances: Software, Interface Improve User Experience

Published: January 20 2012

The news in analytical balances comes not from hardware but from user interface and software algorithms that translate electrical signals to weight. “When you put a weight on a balance, the measurement is so much faster than it used to be,&rdqu

Thermal Analyzers: Versatile, Diverse, Instrumentation, and Methods

Published: December 9 2011

Thermal analysis, or calorimetry, correlates temperature-dependent events to physical characteristics of a sample, such as mass, structure, strength, brittleness, elongation, decomposition, evolved gases, oxidation, reduction, or physicochemica

Laboratory Freezers and Refrigerators: New Technologies are Making an Impact

Published: December 9 2011

Lab refrigerators and freezers must be versatile enough to serve diverse markets because a great deal of feature overlap exists within the lab refrigeration market. Yet significant differentiation exists as well. Clinical labs, which are regulate

Titrators: Myriad Methods for Quantifying Unknowns

Published: December 6 2011

Those whose only brush with titration came in a freshman chemistry lab may be surprised to learn the significance of titration in companies that manufacture materials, drugs, foods, and beverages. David Minsk, president of Hanna Instruments

Gas Chromatography Systems: Streamlining Workflows While Improving Accessibility

Published: November 5 2011

From the perspective of Shimadzu Scientific Instruments (Columbia, MD), gas chromatography sales closely follow the ups and downs of specific economic sectors related to energy and the environment. According to GC product manager Mark Taylor,

Biological Shakers: Gentle Mixing, Aeration for Biological Samples

Published: November 5 2011

“Shaken, not stirred” was James Bond’s preferred mixing method for martinis. Similarly, biological shakers aerate and mix cells with their media by the action of a moving platform. Shaking is often preferred with cell cultures

pH Meters: Striving Toward Greater Functionality

Published: November 4 2011

Mature product lines such as pH meters are fundamentally limited in underlying technology, so they evolve through adding features and functionality. High-end pH meters often come with USB or Bluetooth communications and networking capability.

Mass Spectrometry Detectors: Structural Identity for LC, GC Systems

Published: November 4 2011

Early in the evolution of chromatography- mass spectrometry, one could consider the two components as separate boxes requiring a good deal of engineering to link them together.

Raman Analyzers: Out of the Lab, Into the Field

Published: October 7 2011

Raman spectroscopy has undergone a revolution during the last seven to 10 years, largely as a result of massive investment in the telecommunications industry. Improvements have come through what Eric Bergles, VP of sales and marketing at Bayspec (San

Pipettes: Making the Most of Maintenance Options

Published: October 7 2011

Best practices dictate that pipettes undergo preventive maintenance and calibration at least once per year. Calibration involves dispensing set volumes of a liquid, usually water, into the weighing pan of a calibrated balance.

Particle Sizing: It's Not All About Size

Published: October 7 2011

Whether your business is pharmaceuticals, mining, paints, or foods, you are probably working with smaller particles than you were a decade ago.

Microplate Readers: Evolutionary Changes Bring Greater Function, Flexibility

Published: October 7 2011

Although a mature product category, microplate readers are evolving towards greater functionality, flexibility, and throughput. All top instrument makers are focusing at least some efforts on multiplexing.

Lab Washers: To Centralize or Not To Centralize?

Published: October 7 2011

The question of limited access or general access to laboratory goods and services applies to a range of instruments, utilities, and competencies. These questions take on added significance for midsized or larger labs.

Vacuum Pumps: More Options For Green, Remote Operation

Published: September 9 2011

Oil-free diaphragm pumps have earned a reputation for environmental- friendliness for low- to medium- pressure applications. At the low-pressure end, pumps do not continuously send water down the drain as do aspirators. “And there is no contami

UV-VIS Spectrophotometers: Still A Rich Area for Innovation

Published: September 9 2011

Despite the technique’s maturity, ultraviolet and visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy has been a fertile area for innovation, both in terms of underlying technology and instrumentation. The continuous xenon light source, which operates from UV to nea

Specialty Gases: Rolling Your Own Provides Safety, Economy

Published: September 9 2011

The prospect of gas cylinder accidents inspires awe and fear in lab workers. However, a safer alternative exists for some of the more common specialty gases: on-site or point-of-use generation that uses membranes, catalysts, or pressure swing absorpt

FTIR Spectroscopy: Traditional Uses Giving Way to Portability Microscopy

Published: September 9 2011

Although serious Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) research and core analysis facilities are still alive and well, traditional applications are giving way to more dynamic uses such as controlling processes and field work. For researc

Baths and Chillers: Control and Interface Options in a Mature Product Category

Published: September 9 2011

Despite their maturity as a product category, chillers and baths continue their slow evolution, particularly in the areas of controls and user interface. Cole-Parmer (Vernon Hills, IL) has introduced a new product line that includes immersion cir

Electronic Lab Notebooks: Data System Integration, But Slow Adoption by Small Labs

Published: July 18 2011

“Informatics convergence” has become a buzzword among ELN vendors and their customers. According to Steven Eaton, marketing manager for chemical analysis and informatics at Waters Corporation (Milford, MA), convergence encompasses an info

HPLC Systems: Critical First Steps in LC Analysis

Published: July 17 2011

As HPLC systems become faster and employ increasingly exotic stationary phases, sample preparation becomes essential for reliable, reproducible analyses. Biological samples generally require concentration in the target analyte and, in the case of

Freeze-Dryers: Advanced Control Tops Rich Feature Options

Published: July 17 2011

Demand for reliable methods of preparing and storing high-value samples has rejuvenated the market for freezedryers, also known as lyophilizers. In response, vendors have transformed freeze-dryers from clunky, homemade agglomerations of pumps, flasks

Milling & Grinding: Top-Down Particle Size Reduction

Published: July 15 2011

Milling and grinding are ancient techniques that are working their way into high-tech markets.