Mass Spectrometry

Technology Networks

Speaking at Advances in Food and Beverage Analysis 2021, Andrea Hochegger, from Graz University of Technology, presented her talk on the analysis of mineral oil hydrocarbons in food.

Mineral Oil Hydrocarbons in Food - An Analytical Challenge

Teach Me in 10

Flow cytometry is a technique that is adopted to both detect and measure characteristics of a population of cells, or particles. As a widely used method, flow cytometry has several different applications. 
Watch this Teach Me in 10 video to hear an introduction to flow cytometry with Dr. Eric Yager from the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

An Introduction to Flow Cytometry With Dr. Eric Yager

Organomation

Solvent Compatibility Table: https://fs.hubspotusercontent00.net/hubfs/6549100/Updated%20Solvent%20Table.pdf

Related Article: https://blog.organomation.com/blog/organomation-publishes-solvent-table-for-laboratory-evaporators

Contact Us: https://www.organomation.com/contact

                    Solvent Compatibility for Your Nitrogen Evaporator

Organomation understands that each customer application is unique. That is why our nitrogen evaporators come in a variety of customized  models to accommodate your lab’s specific needs.

There are some important factors to think about before purchasing a nitrogen evaporator. If you will be working with… 
• Corrosive or flammable solvents
• Sensitive samples
• Or solvents with high or low boiling points
…then a customized instrument model may be required. Organomation has four models available, and this video will explain when each is recommended. 

One option we offer is our Teflon coating, which is a corrosion-resistant coating that helps prevent corrosive solvents from damaging the instrument. 

This coating option is recommended when using highly acidic, basic, or otherwise corrosive solvents. Some of the most popular ones being Hydrochloric Acid, Ammonium Hydroxide, Chloroform, and pee-ruh-deen (Pyridine).

For labs working with highly flammable solvents, our team suggests evaporators with a positive pressure purge device, also called a Z-Purge.

The Z-Purge is a safety device that is meant to keep flammable solvent vapor away from the instrument’s heating elements. It maintains a small flow of nitrogen into the bath pan. This creates a slight positive pressure gradient inside the bath case, preventing highly flammable vapors from igniting. 

The device is recommended for any application using highly flammable solvents such as Carbon Disulfide, Diethyl Ether (dai-eh-thuhl ee-thr), Hexane, and Pentane.

In addition to water baths, we offer dry bath models. A dry bath N-EVAP will have aluminum or glass beads as the heating medium, instead of the standard water bath. They are highly recommended when working with water sensitive samples.

The dry bath medium also allows for a higher temperature range than water baths, so this option is recommended when working with solvents that have high boiling points above 90 °C.

For labs using solvents with low boiling points, or heat sensitive samples, unheated instruments are an option. These instruments initiate the evaporation process by nitrogen blowdown only.
They are also a good option for evaporating very small samples that can be effectively dried with only the use of nitrogen blowdown, and not the additional heating element. 

These instrument options are designed to help keep both you and the instrument safe during the evaporation process. They will allow for efficient sample preparation for most applications. 
So how do you know which model is the best choice for your application?

Organomation has published a solvent compatibility table which provides option code recommendations for the most commonly used solvents. A link to this table will be located in the description box below.

If you will be using a solvent that is not listed on the table, or if you have questions on any instrument model, please reach out to sales@organomation.com or 978-838-7300 to speak to one of our sales technicians.

Solvent Compatibility for Your Nitrogen Evaporator || Organomation

Contact Us: https://www.organomation.com/contact

Preventing Sample Contamination in an Evaporation System

Sample contamination is a risk that virtually all labs have to be mindful of. 
Common sources of contamination include compounds in the atmosphere or sample residue left behind on improperly cleaned equipment.
Many of Organomation’s products use nitrogen blowdown as a common evaporation technique. Here are some tips to prevent sample contamination in any nitrogen evaporator.
Make sure that all sample vials are properly cleaned before coming in contact with a sample. They should also be properly stored in a sanitized area between uses.
Similarly, make sure that all gas delivery needles are clear of any residues. It’s recommended to clean and examine the needles between each use.
Organomation also offers pipet adapters, which allow glass pipets to be used in place of stainless steel needles. Since glass pipets are disposable, they are recommended for applications where contamination is a pressing concern.
Use caution when placing sample tubes in the evaporator. Before placing the samples in the unit, raise the needles as high as possible. This will allow tubes to be placed in the holder without tipping.
When lowering the needles back into place, avoid contact with the solvent.

Ensure that your gas source is clean and dry. If any inert gas is being used, it should be high or ultra-high purity depending on the application.

When using atmospheric air from a compressor, a dryer and micro filter may be needed as well.”

It’s also important to avoid excessive sample turbulence due to high gas flow. Solvent splashing may result in sample loss, cross contamination, or needle contamination.

We recommend setting the gas flow rate at a low setting, and slowly increasing it until a dimple is visible on the sample’s surface.

Try to avoid a bath temperature that is too high, which can create condensation on the evaporator. The condensed solvent may drip into the sample or leave residue on the needles. The recommended bath temperature is 2-3°C below the solvent’s boiling point.

Once evaporation is complete, use caution when removing the samples from the unit. Raise the needles as high as possible so that they don’t come in contact with the sample.

Make sure the gas flow is turned off during this step, to avoid any accidental splashing.

Although sample contamination will always be a concern for labs, having strict procedures and properly trained personnel will help reduce the risks. Maintaining these preventative measures will ultimately save the laboratory valuable time and money.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to sales@organomation.com or call 978-838-7300 to speak to one of Organomation’s sales technicians.

Preventing Sample Contamination in an Evaporation System || Organomation

Website: https://www.organomation.com/

Contact Page: https://www.organomation.com/contact

Video Citations:
Khmelevsky, Ruslan, director. Video Of Metal Hook Near Fire. Pexels, https://www.pexels.com/video/video-of-metal-hook-near-fire-4652136/. Accessed 18 July 2022. 
Podrez, Artem, director. Test Tubes with Chemicals. Pexels, https://www.pexels.com/video/test-tubes-with-chemicals-8534430/. Accessed 18 July 2022. 

                                      How to Safely Evaporate Explosive Solvents
Since 1959, Organomation has been a leading provider of sample preparation solutions and equipment. We strive to create long-lasting equipment with safety and reliability as the top priorities.

Many users of Organomation equipment work with highly flammable solvents such as Hexane and Diethyl Ether. That’s why we created a positive pressure purge device as an optional safety item to each of our evaporators and extractors.

This positive pressure purge device, also called a Z-Purge, allows users to safely concentrate samples containing these highly flammable solvents, without the risk of explosion.

The Z-Purge uses both pressurization and purging to protect against an explosion. Pressurization is an affordable yet effective alternative to intrinsically safe or explosion proof equipment.

This device works by maintaining a small flow of inert gas in the heating unit, creating a positive pressure gradient within the enclosure. This prevents solvent vapor from entering the heating unit and igniting. As an additional protection measure, the concentrator is continuously purged with inert gas throughout the entire evaporation process, in order to flush out any stray solvent vapor.

Each Z-Purge device comes with a pressure gauge and control valve to monitor and maintain pressure within the heating unit.

The purge system is not tied to instrument operation, so the evaporator can be operated without a Z-Purge in low-risk environments.

The Z-Purge can be added to all Organomation instruments, including our full line of nitrogen blowdown evaporators as well as our large-scale solvent evaporators and extractors.

For nitrogen blowdown evaporators, the purge line can either be connected to the main nitrogen blowdown line, or to a separate clean air line to conserve nitrogen gas.

If you have any questions on the Z-Purge device, or if you’re not sure whether your application requires one, please reach out to sales@organomation.com or call 978-838-7300 to speak to one of Organomation’s sales technicians.

How to Safely Evaporate Explosive Solvents | Organomation

Product Page:
 https://www.organomation.com/products/solvent-extractors/rot-x-tract-s?hsLang=en

Contact Us:
 https://www.organomation.com/contact

ROT-X-TRACT, 8 Position, 500 mL Demonstration Video:

Organomation’s ROT-X-TRACT easily runs up to eight solid-liquid Soxhlet extraction’s at once.
The circular rotating design takes up minimal fume hood or benchtop space.
It also prevents water lines from tangling by having only one water supply line in and one drain line out. The water line can be connected to either cold tap-water or a recirculating chiller.

The rotating manifold and sample holder allow each sample to be removed from the front for easy access, which is especially helpful when working within a fume hood.

Make sure to close off any vacant sample positions by using the hole covers provided. This will keep the steam in the water bath, which is needed for the extraction process.

There is also a built in condenser flow valve located on the water drain line. This regulates the pressure in the water manifold and the water level in the condenser. It also maintains an even water stream to all sample positions throughout the extraction process.

Flow is easily monitored by the flow meter located above the side control box.

Start by placing your solid sample into the extraction thimble, and put it into the extractor. 
Fill up the round bottom flask with the solvent used for your application.
Once the water bath heats up, the solvent in the flask will begin evaporating, creating solvent vapor. This vapor will travel up through the distillation tube, and into the condenser. The cold water begins to compress the vapor, which will drip into and pass through the thimble containing your sample. This process will extract any analytes from the sample. Once the solvent has reached the syphon point, it will drain from the extractor body and into the boiling flask. This cycle can be repeated as many times as is necessary for your application. 
The ROT-X-TRACT also comes with a side control box to manage all the instrument settings.

There is an on/off toggle switch located at the very front of the box which controls power to the entire instrument.

The set temperature as well as the current bath temperature are also displayed.
The orange light indicates whether the heat is turned on or off.

There are many timer control options and modes on the ROT-X-TRACT. You can set both an on-delay or off-delay using the controller located on the left side of the box. This will allow your instrument to automatically turn on or off after a specified time period.
You can also manually control the process if desired. 

Thank you for watching our demonstration!
If you have questions or would like more information on this ROT-X-TRACT, please reach out to sales@organomation.com or speak with one of Organomation’s sales technicians at: 978-838-7300.

ROT-X-TRACT, 8 position, 500 mL Demonstration Video || Organomation

Analytical Cannabis 

Speaking at an [i]Analytical Cannabis[/i] webinar in May 2022, Dr. Susan Audino, Chemistry Laboratory Consultant at S. Audino & Associates, LLC, presented an update on the developments of standard test methods for the cannabis industry.

Talk abstract: Cannabis-testing regulations took off well before the implications of testing requirements were realized. And the regulations have swayed and been moving targets for laboratories fervently trying to do the “right thing” of balancing testing requirements, regulatory specifications, customer needs, maintain scientific integrity, and ensuring a profitable business. Long-standing science organizations have been struggling to catch up to regulations and to help guide laboratories and regulatory bodies to establish standard analytical test methods based on sound scientific principles.

Standard Test Methods Making Gains on the ‘Runaway Train’ of Regulations!

Chromatography & Mass Spectrometry Solutions

Learn how to relieve helium gas shortage issues by quickly adapting your iConnect SSL injector to dramatically reduce helium consumption to a few mL/min during operation and to almost no flow when the GC is idle. Extend the helium cylinder lifetime from months to years according to the usage of the instrument. The Thermo Scientific HeSaver-H2Safer technology is useful as well when hydrogen is used as carrier gas. In this case, this technology eliminates safety concern and the additional cost of H2 sensor installation. Know more from this video about how it works and discover the benefit of saving costs by maintaining your validated methods unchanged.

Thermo Scientific™ HeSaver-H2Safer™ SSL Injector for the TRACE™ 1600 Series GC

This excerpt from a recent [i]Analytical Cannabis[/i] panel discussion focuses on the future of heavy metals regulations and testing in licit cannabis products in the U.S.  You can watch the full panel with Carl Christianson, CSO, True Labs for Cannabis, Ini Afia, Principal, Cannsultation and Stephen Goldman, CSO, Kaycha Labs [url][link]https://go.analyticalcannabis.com/cannabis-lab-operators-panel[/link][name]by clicking here[/name][/url]

Mass Spectrometry

Refine By

Keep up to date with all your favourite videos and channels.

Get personalised notifications on new releases and channel content by subscribing to the LabTube eNewsletter.