Short Courses

Hands-on FT-IR Microspectroscopy
Wednesday, November 16
Instructors: John A. Reffner, John Jay College, and David W. Schiering, Czitek

A little more than thirty years ago we saw a revolutionary change in approach to microanalysis in infrared (IR) spectroscopy—the combination of optical microscopy with IR beam condensing optics. This change led to much greater adoption of Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) microspectroscopy methods and opened up many new applications. IR spectroscopy is a highly specific method for materials characterization and with the microscope, the analyst has the ability to characterize complex samples on the micro level. This course will introduce the fundamentals, instrumentation, and applications of FT-IR microspectroscopy and will also present sample preparation methods. Click here for more details

Fundamentals and Practical Applications of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy
Wednesday, November 16, Half-day 1:00pm - 5:00pm
Instructor: Lydia Breckenridge, Bristol-Myers Squibb

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has emerged as a unique analytical technique for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of a variety of solid materials. The minimal sample preparation requirements, high spatial resolution capabilities, rapid analysis time, simple instrumentation and applicability to all media make LIBS especially appealing to the pharmaceutical industry. This half-day course will introduce the fundamentals and instrumentation of LIBS and provide a brief review of current applications. The utility of LIBS for the analysis of various different solid materials, including pharmaceutical samples, will be covered; including its application to coating analysis, homogeneity determination, contaminant identification, and elemental quantitative analysis. Click here for more details

Introduction to Vibrational Spectroscopy for Real Time Analysis
Tuesday, November 15, 8:30am - 5:00pm
Instructors: John Wasylyk, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Peter Larkin

Classic vibrational spectroscopy techniques include near-infrared (NIR), infrared (IR), and Raman spectroscopies. In this course we will provide an overview of all three techniques, review basic spectroscopy principles, review the advantages and disadvantages of each technique, summarize the group frequency concept, provide a comparison of the spectra-structure correlations of NIR, IR, and Raman spectroscopies, and briefly summarize key chemometric concepts for model development. RTA examples will be presented which highlight the strengths and limitations of all three techniques and summarize the critical attributes needed for successful applications of RTA. Key concepts will be highlighted using an interactive question format. Click here for more details

Introduction to Gas Chromatography/Infrared Spectroscopy
Wednesday, November 16, Half-day 8:30am - 12:30pm
Instructors: John Schneider, Argonne National Laboratory

This half-day course will cover the basics of gas chromatography using infrared spectrometry (GC/IR) for detection. The basic configurations of GC/IR will be discussed including the light pipe interface, cryogenic trapping, and matrix isolation. Several applications will be covered including food/flavor analysis, forensics, and homeland security. The use of GC/IR data as complementary to GC/MS data will be discussed. Click here for more details

Register Now

All Short Course take place at the Holiday Inn in Somerset, NJ.
You must register as a Full Conferee in order to take a short course.
Register before Oct. 15th for discounted pricing.