Lab Manager Magazine^®

Mainstay of Organic Chemical Analysis

GC was once commonly called “GLC,” where the “L” stands for liquid. Inside GC columns are particles of a ceramic...

Boost Precision, Reproducibility for Critical LC Methods

Chromatographers who learned their craft twenty years ago may not have been familiar with autosamplers then, but today nearly every high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) instrument includes an autosampler as standard equipment.

For HPLC, Where the Act ion is

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) columns are considered the “heart” of the instrument because that is where the separations occur. Columns consist of stainless steel tubes with inlet and outlet openings. Plastic or glass may

Users Demand Productivity, Quality

Conceived as a separations tool for biomolecules, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has expanded its scope significantly into chemistry, pharmaceuticals, forensics, and organic chemical analysis. The need for speed and quality has led to

Extending Visu alization into Three Dimensions

Because microscopy is limited by the physics of light collection and manipulation through lenses, it will never experience the miniaturization and integration we have observed in electronics-based instrumentation. Still, vendors are constantly extend

Essential for Many Industries, Particle Sizing continues to Undergo Innovation

Numerous technologies have emerged for measuring particle size. Sieving and sedimentation, among the oldest methods, provide quantitative sizing from millimeters upward. Optical sizing under a microscope, where particles are visualized and counted ag

Sensitive, Quantitative Metal Analysis

Atomic absorption (AA) has been known since the 19th century, but it was not until the 1950s, thanks to efforts by Alan Walsh at Australia’s CSIRO research center, that use of AA spectrometers became routine for metals analysis. AA measures

Picking Up Steam in Nontraditional Markets

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, a subset of infrared (IR) spectroscopy, uses a mathematical algorithm, Fourier transform, to translate raw infrared data into a spectrum. Like IR, FTIR is useful for the analysis of organic and inor

Stepchild of Vibrational Spectroscopy Comes of Age

Raman has become the “go-to” analytical method in materials science, pharmaceuticals, and homeland security. Its advantages are that it is nondestructive, detects analytes through packaging, and requires no sample preparation. The princip

It ’s All in the Chromophores

Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) measures and identifies chemicals that absorb in the ultraviolet and visible regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. UV wavelengths range from 10 to 400 nanometers, while the visible spectrum—colors vi

Enablers of High-Throughput Assays

Automated liquid handlers encompass a range of instruments and systems whose function is to dispense liquids rapidly, usually in very small quantities, at user-specified volumes, and with great accuracy, precision, and reproducibility. As the suc

The “Glue” That Binds Microtiter Plate-Based Analysis Systems

Automated systems employing microplates in biological and chemical assays may consist of liquid dispensers, plate washers, mixers, readers, sealers, labelers, shakers, incubators and storage. Tying these components together are microplate handlers, w

Enabling Technology for High-Throughput Assays

Flexibility (available detection modes), performance (sensitivity, throughput), and cost are prime considerations in microplate reader selection, although the order of preference may differ for each market. Detection modes define the instrument&rsquo

Xeroxing Genes

Within a decade of its discovery in 1983, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) evolved into one of biology’s most useful tools. PCR amplifies specific segments of genes so accurately that an early National Institutes of Health publication dubbed the

Enablers of the Brave New World of RNA Interference

RNA interference (RNAi) uses short strands of synthetic ribonucleic acid (RNA) to silence or “knock down” genes implicated in certain phenotypes—most commonly (but not limited to) diseases. The “interference” occurs when

Straightforward, Complex Purchasing Decisions

Analytical balances use enclosed weigh pans and come in two basic varieties: microbalances (accurate to 1 μg) and semi-microbalances (10 μg). Modern balances come equipped with built-in applications for piece counting, density calculations,

Not Your Daddy’s Fume Hood

BSCs are distinct from other safety enclosures. Fume hoods pull air over the work item and into the environment through a vent, whereas controlled atmosphere glove boxes are completely enclosed, protecting both users and samples through an airtight b

Essential Tools at Macro Scale; Automation Friendly for Miniaturized Assays

Biological shakers are used to Cool Thermal Mixer agitate a collection of biological samples simultaneously. Shakers consist of a motor attached to a flat surface, with fasteners for securing labware whose contents require mixing. All points on the s

Continuum of Options and Features for High- Use Devices

Centrifuges are among a select group of laboratory instruments that are as scalable as they are configurable. Individuals who have used benchtop centrifuges that handle sub-milliliter volumes may be surprised to learn that centrifuges— some as

Portable Cooling at the Point of Use

Lab chillers remove heat from one object and transfer it to another, usually by means of a liquid. Thermo Fisher Scientific defines chillers as “refrigerated recirculating liquid cooling system[s] consisting of a compressor, condenser, evaporat

Holding Up to Work loads in Classified Space

Choice of clean room casework, or furniture, is one of the most important decisions made when setting up classified space. Cabinets and associated doors, hinges, handles, panels, benchtops, shelving, and vertical/horizontal surfaces must be compatibl

Commodity lab appliances, but strong on innovation

It would be difficult to imagine a chemistry laboratory without at least one fume hood. Despite their ubiquity and the notion that they are not “sexy” lab products, a great deal of innovation has occurred in fume hoods during the last dec

Versatile, On-Demand Isolation or Containment

Glove boxes are completely closed compartments ranging in size from a few cubic feet to several hundred cubic feet. They differ from other safety enclosures in two ways: users can introduce articles into glove boxes and manipulate them inside through

Better Temperature Control

Laboratory incubators are used to grow and maintain cell cultures and are available in a variety of sizes and types. They are divided into two main categories: gassed incubators (CO2 incubators) and non gassed or microbiological incubators. CO2 incub

A Product Category in Transition

LIMS products vary from software for small laboratories to systems for enterprise-class distribution, where large implementations can cost millions of dollars and encompass licensing, training, validation and other required services. As with other so

How Low Can You Go?

Low-temperature laboratory freezers can achieve temperatures of about -40° C or lower. Kitchen freezers, by contrast, operate to about -20° C. The temperature “sweet spot” for lab freezers is about -85° C. “Mechanical&rd

Bringing Out the Best in Analytical Samples

Mills and grinders are used to prepare samples (of minerals, plants, food, drugs, pigments, and forensic materials, for example) through particle size reduction (comminution). Afterward, samples are analyzed for their components or to demonstrate spe

Controlling Temperatures to a Fraction of a Degree

Most basic lab uses employ oven temperatures from just above ambient to several hundred degrees Fahrenheit, although ovens used for materials processing reach temperatures in excess of 1000ºF. Kilns, specialty ovens used to process ceramics, may

Manual Liquid Handling Focuses on Ergonomics

The high-throughput demands of modern laboratories have led to a rise in pipette-related repetitive stress injuries (RSIs). In a worstcase scenario, RSIs can lead to surgery and lost productivity costing tens of thousands of dollars. Improved ergonom

A Temperature for Every Taste

Lab refrigerators and freezers are similar in construction to household units, and come in a variety of temperature ranges, shapes and sizes. Freezer and refrigeration options fall into four general temperature categories: +4ºC refrigerators

A Guarantee of Purity

Defining the term “specialty gas” seems simple at first. But after considering the numerous ways specialty gases might differ from their commodity counterparts, it becomes tempting to apply the aphorism “I can’t define it, but

Surrogate Measurement for Chemical, Bacterial Contamination

Total organic carbon (TOC) analysis measures the carbon content of dissolved and particulate organic materials in water. It’s nonspecific, meaning it tells how much organic carbon is present without identifying the contaminant. The carbon measu

Oil-free Alternatives Offer Numerous Advantages Besides Being Kind to the Environment

Costs associated with generating a vacuum, such as process costs, user costs and cost to the environment, have never really been considered seriously. Although technology has advanced to provide smaller, cleaner and quieter options, not many people a

More Than a Convenience

Many labs today rely on glassware washers, as they ensure consistent cleaning of critical labware, free up technician time for more value-added work, and provide assurance and validation in regulated industries. “Generally, the more critical th

Water Demands Your Respect: There is More to Procuring Pure Water Th an Investing in the Right Water Purification System

As instruments have become more sensitive and applications increasingly complex, the demand for high-purity water has also increased. Parts-per-million (ppm) is no longer the smallest level of contamination, as users are testing for parts-per-billion