Mass spectrometry

Applied Biosystems of Warrington, UK, has launched AB SCIEX Triple Quad 5500 and the AB SCIEX QTRAP 5500 mass spectrometry systems for compound, protein and contaminant analysis.  

The AB SCIEX Triple Quad 5500 system delivers extremely accurate quantitative results at fast scan speeds to identify a large number of target analyses at low concentrations in complex samples. It can be used in high-throughput applications that require samples to be screened for extremely large numbers of target analytes, such as contaminant analyses in food or drinking water. The system incorporates the new AcQuRate pulse counting detector, which effectively detects ions to increase quantitative accuracy and precision. 

The AB SCIEX QTRAP 5500 system combined the triple quadrupole capabilities with Linear Accelerator ion trap technology, giving it high sensitivity and performance for both quantitative and qualitative analysis of compounds, proteins and contaminants. 

These mass spectrometers will find application, for example, in drug metabolite identification, protein biomarker verification and validation, food testing and water analysis. 

Titrator 

Metrohm has launched the 870 KF Titrino Karl Fischer titrator for volumetric water determination. It can be used to determine water contents from a few ppm up to 100 per cent, reliably and accurately, in solid, liquid and gaseous samples. With its operating interface designed for routine users, it is an easy-to-use and robust titrator for routine determinations. It is equipped with a high-resolution measuring input that guarantees precision. 
enquiry@metrohm.co.uk  

Quality control

Mettler-Toledo of Leicester, UK, has introduced the SQC (statistical quality control)-XP as a stand-alone weighing system for fast, reliable and easy weight check and control in manufacturing and production environments - ideal for small to medium companies in the pharmaceutical, chemical and food and beverage sectors.

The weighing capacity of the SQC-XP ranges from 1m g to 64kg, making it suitable for a wide range of materials, from small tablets of a few milligrams to boxed confectionery and crates of bottled beveragesweighing several kilograms. 
See company website

Pure water on tap 

Millipore has launched the Elix Advantage water purification system, which provides high-quality pure water from the tap by electrodeionisation. The system is modular and easily adaptable and can be bench-integrated or wall-installed. The design of the system's water dispenser - the E-pod - allows convenient placement in the laboratory for efficient pressurised pure water dispensing. Up to three E-pod units per system can be connected for manual and volumetric dispensing at flow rates up to 2l/min. The system combines electrodeionisation technology with purification technologies, including a Progard pretreatment cartridge, advanced reverse osmosis and a 254nm UV lamp. 
karen_hall@millipore.com 

Colorimeter 

Ocean Optics, of Duiven, the Netherlands, has announced its partnership with Admesy (of Ittervoort, the Netherlands) to provide the Brontes colorimeter for colour measurement in online applications. 

The Brontes features 5500 colour measurements per second and 18,000 luminance measurements per second in burst mode. Colour is measured using photodiode sensors and an XYZ interference filter. 

It has eight selectable luminance ranges with a lowest luminance level of 0.05cd/m².
Supported colour spaces include XYZ, Yxy, L*a*b*, Y'u'v', LCH. Also supported are colour temperature and dominant wavelength measurements. The Brontes is especially useful in situations where speed and stability are key demands. 

The colorimeter can operate as a stand-alone unit or interfaces with a variety of other systems. It comes with standard software applications for measuring and storing data.  
info@OceanOptics.com 

Onyx expansion 

Onyx Scientific, a pharmaceutical services company based in Sunderland, UK, is expanding its services by launching a new solid state chemistry service. Automated 96-well format sample preparation and analysis using x-ray powder diffraction and Raman spectroscopy allow the rapid identification and evaluation of the most favourable physical form for new pharmaceutical substances. In particular, salt selection and polymorphism studies can be carried out using additional specialist equipment. These studies will complement Onyx's existing scale-up synthesis, GMP synthesis and process development facilities. 
enquiries@onyx-scientific.com 

Microbalance 

Mettler-Toledo, Leicester, UK, has launched the XP56 microbalance with a weighing capacity up to 52g and a readability of 1 m g. Samples can be dispensed directly into larger containers, such as volumetric flasks, eliminating transfer errors and accelerating sample preparation. The weighing performance of the XP56 makes it possible to weigh samples in the 2 to 8mg range, while also fulfilling the minimum weight criteria according to the USP (United States Pharmacopeia).
See company website