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Crystallisation optimisation

Optimisation and scale-up of crystallisation and precipitation to produce a product that consistently meets purity, yield, form and particle size specifications can be one of the biggest challenges of process development. 

Mettler Toledo's new crystallisation application site hosts a wealth of downloadable information to address these issues. It includes white papers, application case studies and webinars covering a variety of topics including:

• Designing processes with faster throughput 
• Troubleshooting process inconsistencies 
• Optimising particle size, bulk, density and filtration rates 

Discover how the use of Process Analytical Technology (PAT) tools for real-time monitoring of crystal distribution and population and the supersaturation driving force have simplified the understanding, optimisation and control of crystallisation. Go to www.mt.com/crystallization or call 0116 2357070

 

ICP OES 

PerkinElmer has launched a new series of inductively coupled plasma (ICP) optical emission spectrometers: the Optima 8x00 series. According to the company the series features new elements to improve performance and reduce operating costs. The radio frequency generator uses induction plates rather than a helical coil resulting in lower argon consumption compared with traditional versions. 

In addition, the electronic sample introduction system offers better sensitivity and stability by using a constant flow of small, uniform droplets, the company says. The series is suited to analysis of environmental, food, pharmaceutical, product safety and geochemical samples. 

Assay kits 

Bio-Rad is offering kits for the detection of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) using IgG, IgM, and IgA antibodies with its BioPlex 2200 system. APS is an autoimmune disease that causes potentially harmful blood clotting and thereby raises the risk of stroke and heart attack. Using the kits, researchers can simultaneously detect anticardiolipin antibodies and antibeta-2-glycoprotein I. 

The BioPlex 2200 system is a fully automated, random access multiplex testing system that can process multiple individual tests - ones that would traditionally be processed separately - using a single small volume patient sample. 

Ion mobility

AB Sciex has introduced the SelexIon technology for differential ion mobility spectrometry (IMS), in which ions are separated and identified by how they move in a carrier gas. The technology adds an additional degree of selectivity based on the shape of the molecule. The company says it is particularly suitable for assays with isobaric interference and contaminants that resist separation. 

X-ray crystallography

Bruker has launched the D8 Quest and the D8 Venture, two new x-ray crystallography systems. The company says that they benefit from a range of x-ray sources and optics, plus a new beam path design that allows for easy alignment with the x-ray enclosure doors. 

In addition, the systems incorporate the first detector for chemical crystallography based on complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology. The detector has an active area of 100cm², four times larger than the charge coupled device (CCD) chips typically used, the company says. This gives the systems improved detection efficiency, compared with traditional system.

Scanning probe microscopy

Shimadzu has launched a new scanning probe microscope, the SPM-9700, featuring software that 'sets a new standard for easy operation'. The company says that the new software delivers a wide range of benefits. It is compatible with Microsoft Windows 7. It includes a guidance function with procedures displayed on the screen for operators with limited experience. Furthermore, with the new software, an operator can view up to eight images. In contrast, the previous model offered just two. 

HPLC

Waters has introduced the Acquity UPLC I-Class high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) system, featuring the lowest system dispersion and lowest carryover of any system on the market, the company says. Dispersion is a broadening of the fraction peak as it moves through a capillary from detection to collection. Lowering the dispersion reduces fraction loss and thereby improving any subsequent analysis. Carryover is the appearance of a peak from a previous analysis after the column has been cleaned. 

Waters says it has minimised dispersion in the I-Class through reduced system volume and carryover through new design and materials. 

E. coli detection 

Life Technologies has brought to the market the TaqMan E. coli  0104 detection kit for detecting the E. coli  strain responsible for the recent international outbreak linked initially to cucumbers in Germany. The company says that traditional, laboratory approaches can take up to 10 days to yield results, whereas the new kit, which is based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR), works its magic in 10-24 hours.

HPLC columns

Thermo Fisher has brought to market the Accucore range of columns for HPLC. The columns contain solid core particles of 2.6 m diameter and with an average particle size distribution of 1.12. According to the company, they allow for high speed, high resolution separation with low back pressure. 

Cannabinoid compendium

Agilent Technologies has made available a compendium of gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) information for detecting synthetic cannabinoids, typically found in 'herbal incense' blends. In March, several synthetic cannobinoids became controlled substances in the US. 

The compendium contains detailed procedures for sample preparation and GCMS plus a searchable mass spectrometry library of tests for 35 synthetic cannabinoids and their derivatives. It is free to qualified forensics labs.