Chromatographers who learned their craft 20 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.

In HPLC columns, reverse-phase and normal-phase chromatography separation methods are based on polarity. Reverse phase columns separate analytes based on their hydrophobicity, with the more hydrophobic compounds being retained longer on the column.

HPLC is, for many scientists, an essential apparatus for the separation, identification, purification and quantification of various compounds.

Find what you need to know when buying a mass spectrometer and what our readers had to say about their MS instruments in our latest survey.

Integration is the main reason for the virtual disappearance of the specialist GC or MS supplier that produces chromatographs for someone else’s mass detector, and vice versa.

Time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) works by imparting equal energies to all fragments. Since smaller particles thereby travel faster, their masses are determined by how quickly they travel from the source to the detector.  

Biological safety cabinets (BSCs) are enclosures that protect users and the environment from biohazards by removing particulates and aerosolized pathogens from the work area through HEPA filtration, then recirculate or exhaust the purified air, hence, cleansing the workspace air.

Centrifuges separate particles and structures suspended in liquid by applying thousands of gravitational force equivalents to the sample through spinning. Laboratories use centrifuges to clarify suspensions, separate liquids, isolate suspended particles, perform density measurements and for many other applications.

Rotary evaporators have for decades been staples in labs and industries performing chemistry, including labs in the chemical, environmental, materials, life science and forensics industries. Key applications include sample concentration, solvent

As a mature market, filtration moves forward incrementally through improvements in filter media and housings. 

Flow cytometry is a powerful technology that allows researchers and clinicians to perform complex cellular analysis quickly and efficiently by analyzing several parameters simultaneously.

The use of freeze dryers extends from applications in academic labs to zoos. Moreover, this technology contributes to basic research and manufacturing.

One of the primary safety devices in laboratories where chemicals are used is the laboratory fume hood.

If you’ve had to lug a tank of gas to an experiment station and secure it in place, you know the hassle and danger involved.

Glove boxes are specialty enclosures that allow tight control over experimental conditions. Sizes range from less than five to several hundred cubic feet.

In a laboratory, most materials required for sampling are, in practice, nonhomogeneous mixtures.

Nobody gets excited about lab ovens, but they are definitely essential lab components. Ovens are found in almost every industrial, research and development laboratory.

The expanded features in today’s pH meters reflect the broad use of this technology.

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.

Power supplies provide steady, precisely controlled electrical energy to electronic equipment. Anyone who has built or worked with a desktop computer recognizes the power supply— typically the bulkiest component—sitting behind the electrical inlet socket.

A refractometer is an optical instrument that is used to determine a concentration of a particular substance within a given solution.

Freezers and refrigerators are an integral part of any laboratory that requires temperature controlled storage. Maintaining samples at an optimal temperature while in storage is vital for many lab professionals and this makes choosing the right freezer or fridge a crucial task.

Lab shakers are available in two different mixing actions: orbital and reciprocal and are primarily used for culturing organisms in shake flasks or test tubes, and can also be used for mixing liquids.

Viscometers measure viscosity, the resistance of fluids to flow or stress. In common terms, viscosity is related to a fluid’s “thickness”—a physical property of great interest to manufacturers of liquids, slurries, and pastes.

A successful water system design begins with a clear and precise definition of user needs throughout the facility.

Find out the main questions you should be asking when buying an automated liquid handling system.

Within a decade of its discovery in 1983, Real-Time PCR—also called quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)—evolved into one of the most powerful and sensitive gene analysis techniques available.

Reagent companies sell RNAi reagents as “virtual kits” consisting of the shRNA or siRNA sequences and an appropriate transfection reagent.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of commercial thermal cyclers for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In brief, this technology amplifies segments of DNA. In such a device, PCR tubes go in holes in a thermal block.

Reaction screening and purification are essential steps in small molecule pharmaceutical discovery labs.

Analytical methods which extract aqueous samples require that the initial volume of the sample be determined, as it is necessary to calculate the concentration of the analytes in the sample.

It has become crystal-clear to most of us that glass is something we just can’t live without. Scientists use glass beakers for measuring chemicals. We wear eyeglasses to improve our vision or to make a fashion statement.

Processing DNA samples can be a time consuming and expensive process. If degradation occurs during any of the steps, the process must start over. Before you begin, make sure that the DNA is free of RNA and protein contamination.

Preclinical drug development relies on advanced in vitro models with a high degree of standardization to achieve maximal predictivity for an efficient compound de-risking strategy.