Friday, October 15, 2010

MSI intros FX700, FR700 17.3" multimedia notebooks

MSI has added two more multimedia notebooks to its portfolio: the FX700 and FR700. Both feature 17.3-inch LED-backlit "HD+" displays, are powered by Intel Core i5 processors, and can be configured with as much as 8GB of DDR3 1066MHz RAM. Models will ship with 320GB, 500GB and 640GB HDDs with Windows 7 Home Premium preloaded. The FX700 and FR700 only appear to vary in graphics hardware, with the former packing Nvidia's 1GB GeForce GT 425M and the latter stuck with an Intel IGP.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Thermal analysis automation bundles for composites

Mettler Toledo is offering two thermal analysis automation packages for studying composites - buy a differential scanning calorimeter or thermogravimetric analyser and receive a free sample robot.

This offer is valid until 31 August 2010.

Mettler Toledo's thermal analysis instrumentation provides a way of studying kinetics material behaviours such as curing, chemical reactions and decompositions.

Customers can select from either a differential scanning calorimetery (DSC) or thermogravimetric analyser (TGA) machine.

On the DSC, the star-shaped arrangement of 56 or 120 thermocouples is said to guarantee sensitivity and flat baseline.

Both the TGA and DSC incorporate an ultra microbalance with built-in calibration ring weights for high accuracy.

Flowsyn system for flow chemistry applications

The Flowsyn continuous flow reactor from Uniqsis offers chemists the freedom to choose the Flowsyn system with the appropriate flow-path material best suited to their particular chemistry.

Flow chemistry in micro-reactors is said to have many advantages over batch processing, including better reproducibility and scalability, improved yields and fewer problems with unstable intermediates or exothermic reactions.

The user can now choose a flow-path configuration that is most chemically compatible with the type of chemistry to be performed.

A limitation of existing flow reactors is attributable to the use of Peek components in the flow path.

This material is a good engineering polymer but has limited compatibility with concentrated mineral and organic acids and very strong basis.

Uniqsis fits specially modified high-pressure pumps that do not contain Peek.

A wider range of chemistries is now possible, according to the company.

Reactions requiring the use of strong acids such as nitric acid (nitrations) or powerful organometallic bases such as butyl lithium (metallations) are now routinely possible in flow chemistry.

For many scientists, the standard Flowsyn (Peek and PTFE flow path) offers a practical combination of high-pressure capability and good chemical resistance.

Uniqsis has recently introduced a range of models compatible with a broader range of chemistries.

For the broadest chemical resistance, particularly to concentrated mineral acids, Flowsyn PTFE benefits from a flow path constructed entirely from PTFE, however, this configuration can only withstand moderate pressures.

Where high-pressure operation is a prerequisite, Flowsyn Steel has a flow path constructed from permanently swaged 316S stainless-steel tubing.

This configuration affords safe operation up to 100 bar (1,400lb/in2) and chemical compatibility with strong acids such as concentrated sulphuric acid and TFA.

On request, Uniqsis can also offer a customised version (Flowsyn Hastelloy) where the flow path is constructed from Hastelloy, which offers the optimal combination of chemical resistance combined with high-pressure capability.

Atomic absorption spectrometer analyses selenium

Thermo Fisher Scientific has launched a method guide for the analysis of selenium in shampoo, featuring the Ice 3000 series flame atomic absorption spectrometer with Solaar software.

The method aligns with the European Union commission directive 97/73/EEC stipulating the methods of analysis necessary for checking composition of cosmetic products.

The Ice 3000 series spectrometers include deuterium background correction as standard and offer a fast and accurate solution for the analysis of selenium in shampoo, according to Thermo Fisher Scientific.

The spectrometer's wizard-driven Solaar software also provides simple spectrometer optimisation and method development tools.

The method is detailed in an application note, entitled: 'The Determination of Selenium in Shampoo by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry', available to download from the Thermo Fisher Scientific website.

Pityriasis capitis, more commonly known as dandruff, and seborrheic dermatitis, an inflammatory disease of the skin, are treated with selenium disulphide, which is contained in lotions and shampoos.

After rinsing, selenium disulphide residues may remain on the scalp and can enter the body through broken or damaged skin.

Since the element is considered to be a potential carcinogen, limits have been set for its content in shampoos and lotions.

Commission directive 93/73/EEC mandates flame atomic absorption spectrometry with deuterium background correction as the formal method to measure and regulate the concentration of selenium disulphide in shampoo.

The application note demonstrates how the Ice 3000 series can be used for the identification and determination of selenium disulphide in a range of medicinal shampoos.

Identification is performed by observation of a reactionary colour change, while flame atomic absorption spectrometry is used for the quantitative determination of selenium.

The spectrometer can be optimised simply and quickly using the wizard-driven Solaar software.

Deuterium background correction is implemented to ensure regulatory compliance and spiked recoveries used to verify the accuracy of the method.

Experimental results have demonstrated that flame atomic absorption spectrometry with deuterium background correction is an ideal technique for the dependable analysis of selenium disulphide in shampoo.

The Ice 3000 series atomic absorption spectrometers are described by Thermo Fisher Scientific as high-performance, flexible, easy-to-use and compact systems.

The Ice 3300 is a fully PC-controlled flame atomic absorption spectrometer with full graphite furnace and vapour generation options.

The Ice 3400 features a dedicated Zeeman furnace system, superior optics and flexible background correction options to maximise analytical performance and simplicity.

The Ice 3500 is a dual flame/furnace atomiser allowing automatic, efficient and safe switching between flame and furnace analyses.

Advanced optics and background correction accuracy ensure best analytical performance.

Inorganic micro-pollutant determination in soil

John Morris Scientific discusses the determination of inorganic micro-pollutants in soil and water.

Sample preparation is the most restricting barrier in the analytical process.

Furthermore, the credibility of an analytical method depends on the quantitative conversion of a solid into a homogeneous solution.

The traditional method for wet sample preparation is matrix dissolution.

A large volume of reagent (15-100ml) is heated for several hours with a hot plate or oven.

This process is finished when the analyst decides at sight that the digestion is complete.

The disadvantages of this type of digestion are: the large quantities of reagents employed, potential for contamination continuous release of hot acid vapour into the laboratory environment.

An alternative method is microwave decomposition, which uses a completely different technology that improves digestion efficiency and increases the safety of laboratory personnel.

This is because microwave instruments have been specifically designed to improve the process of the sample preparation.

In view of the advantages of microwave assisted sample preparation, US Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA) developed a range of methods that employ this technology.

These procedures enable the rapid analysis of metals in water samples (US-EPA 3015) and of metals in soils (US-EPA 3051, US-EPA 3052).

The US-EPA3052 method describes the procedure for total sample digestion.

In particular, it refers to the treatment of matrices containing silicates (soils, sediments) and organic matrices (soil polluted by oil and hydrocarbons).

The microwave technique can also be applied to determinations of organic pollutants, for example pesticides, herbicides, phenols, PCB and PCDD/PCDF.

For example, the most commonly used method is US- EPA3546 and its application enables the sample preparation needed for chromatographic analysis.

US-EPA3546 requires a treatment time of 30min.

The main advantage, apart from time reduction, is the efficiency of the process in which solvent and solute are at the same extraction temperature.

The success of modern microwave systems is due to two major aspects: the high technological level and the maximum ease of use.

All parts, including software and hardware, have been built to reach maximum quality standards, allowing the operator to optimise the sample-preparation process.

These units are equipped with the latest-generation sensors for temperature and pressure control in all vessels.

Particular attention has been made to the engineering of various types of vessels, both in the choice of materials and in the safety systems: they can only release the excess pressure from the vessel.

Analytical laboratories need different products and matrices are very heterogeneous; therefore, the manufactures have decided to develop and produce carousels with different technical specifications for different temperature and pressure limits.

These solutions are said to increase the versatility of microwave platforms and offer the best solution for all the application fields.

The Milestone Ethos 1 further develops this concept, since it is not dedicated totally to acid digestion, but also to solvent extraction, evaporation and microwave fusion.

Four major applications are available with one system.

Flame photometer includes sodium linearisation

To simplify calibration, Sherwood Scientific has added sodium linearisation to the clinical version of the Model 360 flame photometer.

The Clinical Model 360 is a single-channel unit built around the same mixing chamber, burner stem and burner head found in Sherwood's Model 410.

It also incorporates the automatic flame optimisation technology from the dual-channel 420 series.

All the controls, the pressure gauge, air regulator and sample introduction are found on the front of the instrument.

The large unobstructed sample work area features a spill containment tray that is easy to remove and clean.

LEDs on the front panel indicate the filter selected - sodium, potassium, lithium, calcium or barium - and the flame status.

The detector response is automatically 'linearised' over the clinical measurement range when the sodium filter is selected.

A display 'hold' button ensures that readings are not lost before they have been recorded and the peak picker function presents unambiguous results.

The Clinical 360 has a footprint of 20 x 30cm.

The mixing chamber, burner head and burner stem come apart for cleaning without tools, while the five-element filter stick is also easy to remove.

Electronics and pneumatics are housed in separate 'pods', which can be detached from the main instrument chassis.

This reduces shipping costs in the event that a return-to-base repair or replacement becomes necessary.

The instrument is shipped with the chimney removed as the smaller volume reduces air freight costs.

Clinical Model 360 flame photometers include a selection of standard solutions and spare parts within the price.

Halogen moisture analysers ensure sample quality

Halogen moisture analysers from Mettler Toledo ensure sample quality and eliminate rejects and recalls with accurate moisture determination for the pharmaceuticals and plastics industries.

By purchasing halogen moisture analysers from Mettler Toledo, customers can receive up to GBP500 worth of free accessories.

Valid on HR83 and HG63 models, customers should order before 31 December 2010 to benefit from the offer.

Mettler Toledo's moisture analysers are ideal for at-line, production and laboratory environments.

Rapid halogen heating provides highly accurate results in seconds, keeping drying time to a minimum, while secure, documented results ensure full regulatory compliance.

Nanosight systems enable protein drugs study

Coriolis Pharma Services is using Nanosight's LM-20 nanoparticle characterisation system to investigate the aggregation behaviour of protein drugs and vaccines.

A special focus during formulation development is set on the characterisation of subvisible particles and aggregation.

The main application requirement for the Nanosight system is to measure the number and the size distribution of aggregates in pharmaceutical protein formulations and of vaccines - for example, virus-like particles.

Protein aggregation is a major stability issue and can result in reduced biological activity and enhanced immunogenicity of the product.

Therefore, it is important to analyse the aggregation behaviour of pharmaceutical proteins and develop methods and formulations that avoid aggregation already at the beginning of formulation development.

Coriolis uses a variety of instrumental techniques to quantify and size aggregates, depending on the size range of interest.

Dynamic light scattering is ideal to analyse monodisperse systems, but once the aggregates start to form and grow, nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) from Nanosight is said to give a real distribution picture.

For samples in the range, microflow imaging (MFI) and light obscuration are used.

NTA works well with polydisperse samples, giving an estimation of the total concentration of particles and the possibility to distinguish different size populations - for example 60 and 100nm particles.

Malvern instrument automates particle analysis

The Mastersizer 2000 particle size analyser from Malvern Instruments is being used across multiple applications in the School of Natural Sciences at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.

The analyser is used by a number of different research groups, with projects ranging from particle sizing in marine sediments to the investigation of storm drains - and even analysing dust from the university library.

Dr Robin Edwards, senior lecturer in Earth sciences, said the Mastersizer 2000 provides a readily reproducible and automated approach to particle sizing.

'We chose the Mastersizer 2000 because of its reputation, its broad measurement range and the fact that it is used internationally by many institutions, which assists sample comparability,' said Dr Edwards.

'For example, before purchasing our own system, we ran samples on a Mastersizer 2000 at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton.

'When we analysed the same samples on our own system we found agreement with the original data.

'Automation is also a key factor and we use the system's autosampler for virtually every run,' he added.

For most of the sediment-based applications, the research teams are interested in broad classifications, while in some marine applications particular size classes are diagnostic.

The Mastersizer is a laser diffraction system designed for a wide range of research and industry applications.

It has a measurement range of 0.02 to 2,000 microns, easily interchanged dispersion units for wet and dry analysis and a user-configurable software interface.

Standard operating procedure (SOP) driven analysis provides full automation and facilitates method transfer.

Quantachrome provides capillary flow porometers

Quantachrome Instruments has completed the acquisition of certain assets of Wenman Scientific, which provides capillary flow porometers for pore size measurements.

The combined technology and capabilities of these companies will allow Quantachrome to further expand it range of products and services by providing capillary flow porometers in business sectors such as filtration, textiles, fuel cells, membranes and coated papers.

Quantachrome spotlights capillary flow porometry

Quantachrome Instruments has published a set of papers addressing aspects of characterising the through-pores in filtration media, both non-woven air filters and porous polymeric membranes.

The technique highlighted is called capillary flow porometry, which involves forcing a wetting fluid through the pores under applied air pressure.

Those industries manufacturing or using such porous media rely on techniques such as this to determine properties such as 'bubble point', mean pore size, air permeability and so on, which have a direct correlation with performance properties.

Uses for porous sheet-like media include indoor air quality, water treatment, breathable fabrics, diapers, drink filter papers and medical devices, for example.

The test device used in the notes is the Porometer 3G, a fully automatic analyser available from Quantachrome Instruments.

Spectrosens allows industrial bioprocess profiling

Stratophase is presenting its Spectrosens technology for the real-time, in-line process profiling of industrial bioprocesses at the European Forum for Industrial Biotechnology (EFIB 2010).

Spectrosens brings together technology from the telecoms, optics and biotech industries, and uses refractive index and temperature measurements to provide real-time, in-line monitoring of complex and time-dependent processes.

This gives increased understanding and control of the manufacturing process, offering potential economical and environmental benefits associated with improved yields, and reduced waste and energy consumption.

The high sampling rate of the Spectrosens system allows for kinematic data to be captured in addition to the overall refractive index and temperature profiles, thereby enabling key points within the manufacturing process to be easily identified.

This means that any deviation in the production process is almost instantly noticeable, enabling any problems to be corrected or the production process stopped.

Being an optical sensing system, the Spectrosens technology is passive and spark-free, and so is also intrinsically safe.

EFIB 2010 will be held on 19-21 October in Edinburgh, UK.

Uniqsis module automates chemistry experiments

Uniqsis has enhanced the Flowsyn by launching an automated loop filling module, Flowsyn Auto-LF, which allows flow chemists to perform multiple experiments with multiple reagents automatically.

With simultaneous loop filling and fraction collection, this research tool enables chemists to harness the power of flow to deliver more compounds even faster.

This latest addition to the Flowsyn range of continuous flow reactors can be used to prepare focussed combinatorial libraries in Flow and can also perform automated experiment optimisation and reagent screening.

One of the main features of Flowsyn Auto-LF is that by using a separate liquid handler and fraction collector, sample loop filling for the next experiment can take place before the current experiment has finished, thereby reducing overall runtimes.

There are no injection ports to leak or block and the fully integrated robust wash protocols minimise the risk of cross-contamination.

Partial filling of loops is allowed so stoichiometry can be varied in subsequent experiments and volumetric accuracy is ensured by sampler calibration to position samples precisely in the loops.

Data monitoring is included and the reaction progress can be monitored on the screen in real time and saved as a log file for each experiment to give an audit trail.

BS-380 provides chemistry analysis in small labs

The Mindray BS-380 is a floor-standing instrument that is intended for use as a main instrument in a small to medium-sized lab, or as a backup instrument in a larger lab, for chemistry analysis tests.

It has all the benefits of the smaller Mindray models, the BS-120 and BS-200, with the added advantage of offering more sample positions and tests per hour.

It will carry out a constant 300 tests per hour, up to 450 tests per hour with the ISE module.
It has an onboard capacity of 75 sample positions, up to 58 chemistries plus three ions and 12 wavelengths: 340-800nm.
It offers discrete, random access; full automation; refrigerated reagent compartment; automatic probe cleaning; liquid level detection; vertical and horizontal collision protection; eight-step auto washing system; automatic dilution for abnormal sample; optional internal barcode reader and bidirectional LIS interface.



Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Oxygen Analyzer

Series 200 Oxygen Analyzer
Donaldson Series 200 Oxygen Analyzer utilizes a replaceable electrochemical cell. Advanced features are lower temperature coefficient due to diffusion barrier design, immunity to CO2, and its wide range. It provides in excess of twelve months life in normal applications and is suitable for multibackground gas samples.

Carbon Monoxide Analyzer

Series 700 Carbon Monoxide Analyzer
Donaldson Series 700 Carbon Monoxide Analyzer is designed to accurately and reliably monitor the carbon monoxide content of high pressure breathing air or medical air supplies and provide an alarm when safe levels are exceeded. The Series 700 monitor features an advanced electrochemical senor whose digitized output is sent to a microprocessor based analyzer, which provides a digital display of the carbon monoxide concentration. An automatic calibration feature allows the user to easily perform periodic calibrations using certified span gases.

Moisture Analyzer

Series 900 Moisture Analyzer
In any measurement, sensor capabilities determine the performance of the analyzer. Donaldson Series 900 Moisture Analyzer is the most advanced moisture monitoring system available. The Series 900 moisture sensor uses state-of-the-art A.C.T. (Advanced Capacitive Transducer) technology, providing a rugged, fast responding, trace moisture sensor that has been designed to lower your costs by permitting sensor replacement without having to discard old probe bodies. Donaldson Series 900 analyzer is available in several configurations to meet application requirements of explosion proof analyzers for natural gas to low cost monitors designed to meet the need of O.E.M. compressed air suppliers.