Perhaps you’ve made your usual New Year’s resolutions: Get to the gym more often, be a better friend, eat more fruits and vegetables, for which I commend you. However, if you’re looking to make resolutions that will have a direct impact on your job performance and career development, you’ve come to the right place.

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

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.

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.

A Question and Answer with Select Automated Sample Prep Experts

An often overlooked practice critical to passing on key aspects of scientific knowledge

Understanding each other's needs and priorities is key to a good working relationship