Part of IBO‘s coverage of analytica is a review of new products introduced at the show or since the beginning of the year. The list features selected new products and is not all inclusive.

Atomic Spectroscopy

Analytik Jena, an Endress + Hauser company, debuted the novAA 800, an entry-level atomic absorption spectrometer with both flame and graphite furnace options. Food applications a\\were an inspiration for the development of the product, particularly those where only a small number of elements are of interest, which makes AA more practical as a solution. The system is rugged, and quite flexible with options for automated liquid dosing, micro-volume pipetting, hydride generation and emission spectroscopy.

Analytik Jena also unveiled a new solution combining LC with ICP-MS. One application that inspired the concept is the discrimination of different elemental species with very different toxic effects, such as organic and inorganic arsenic compounds, in food samples. The system couples an LC, provided by Sykam, to Analytik Jena’s existing PlasmaQuant ICP-MS. Beyond food safety, other aplications include paint in toys, and hazardous substances in other consumer products, as well as more general research.

Bruker introduced the compact portable CTX (Counter Top) XRF spectrometer. The CTX is derived from technology used in the company’s handheld XRF systems. Some users, including academic teaching labs and those in factory settings, found that a handheld form factor did not meet their needs well, and that a more stable solution, but still portable and low cost, would be better. To this end the CTX was developed. The system has a mass of just 16 lb  (7.1 kg) with the battery. It has a 4 W x-ray source, and the capability to measure elements from magnesium to uranium. Applications in oil, geology, food, soil, academia and government, and precious metals recycling are targeted with appropriately configured systems. The system is priced in line with handheld systems, at roughly $20,000.

Elementar introduced a product to replace their existing vario microcube elemental analyzer. The new Unicube is a combustion instrument for the measurement of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and sulfur, with optional packages for oxygen, chlorine and low sulfur. The primary detector is thermal conductivity, but also available is an IR detector for low-sulfur content, and an electrochemistry detector for chlorine. The system is designed for microanalysis, with samples under 1 g in mass, and operation is much quieter than competitive products. The system is relatively insensitive to sample matrix, outfitted with a standard 120-position autosampler, and is easy to use due to its reliability and tools-free maintenance. The main applications are in academic settings, chemistry and pure chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. The first sales of the system began in March.

Lab Products

Gilson introduced a new connectivity platform for its pipetting systems in February, and analytica provided a venue to publicize the new product with hands-on demonstrations. The pipettes are essentially the same as Gilson’s M series, but Bluetooth compatibility has been added. The real advance is in the full Trackman connected package, which includes an Android tablet with a dedicated app, along with stands, adaptors, a microplate holder, and an environmental monitor that tracks temperature, humidity and atmospheric pressure.

The Pipette Pilot App offers three functions. The first is to allow users to build a protocol of multiple steps, defining which aliquots are to be dispensed into which wells. The second is a guide to carrying out these protocols. When a microplate is placed in the holder on the tablet screen, the screen helps to guide the user to the correct wells for each step, by the display changing colors beneath the plate to outline particular cells. Accompanying text explains each step of the process. Early adopters have found great utility in having the protocol and the microplate so close together, making workflow easier and more reliable than having to turn away from a microplate to a paper protocol and back.

Finally, the reporting feature provides record keeping of all the steps and conditions, with the ability to export to a lab notebook or LIMS. Gilson has partnered with SciNote for additional benefits in exporting data to the SciNote ELN. In sum, the new system adds the traceability to manual pipettes that has long been standard with automation. The Bluetooth pipettes are somewhat more expensive than their ordinary counterparts, and the tablet system is priced at not much more than the cost of the Samsung tablet itself.

Launched the week before the show, Eppendorf introduced a new solution for dispensing extremely viscous liquids, such as honey or personal care products, with its existing direct displacement pipetting system. The new Viscotip is a 10 mL consumable with a wider bore to accommodate more viscous substances and a flat plunger end, rather than the more typical needle-ended plunger. This unique solution will be a boon to certain customers who formerly had to resort to laborious weight-based dispensing of these materials. The current model of the direct displacement pipettes automatically recognizes the viscotip when inserted.

Metrohm debuted a new Karl Fischer titration module for its existing high-end Omnis platform for titration, launched in 2016. New software, a titration module, and an acid-solvent module now enable Karl Fischer measurements. The cell is optimized for easier use, and automatically starts once the cell has been loaded. Metrohm expects to develop coulometric testing to add additional capabilities to the platform in the future.

Thermo Fisher Scientific introduced the Thermo Scientific Cell Locker system, individual removable incubator chambers. The product is designed to eliminate the use of multiple incubators for different cell types. Six autoclavable chambers can be stored per incubator, and each chamber stores 9 T-75 cell culture flasks, 20 six-well plates or 24 96-well plates. The Cell Lockers are designed for use with the Heracell VIOS 160i and Forma Steri-Cycle i160 CO2 incubators.

Thermo Fisher  expanded the use of its Thermo Fisher Connect cloud-based solutions, offering the Thermo Scientific My Pipette Creator for use with its E1-ClipTip electronic pipettes. The My Pipette Creater application enables cloud-based programming of  multiple pipettes. This allows storage and sharing of protocols. Pre-programmed protocols for Thermo Scientific reagent kits are available.

LC

BISCHOFF Chromatography introduced a new format for its established “build your own column” POPLC line of segmented columns for mixing multiple chromatographic chemistries in a single run to optimize separation, introduced in 2015. Some customers had difficulties in validating the solution with a segmented column, so BISCHOFF intends to provide readymade versions in a single column format that masks the internal segmentation. The readymade column product is expected to launch in June.

GE Healthcare debuted the benchtop ÄKTA Pilot 600 purification chromatography system, which launched officially on the first of April. The product fills something of a gap in flow rate that previously existed, spanning the range from pilot scale to production scale. The fully sanitizable system is offered in both a standard “S” configuration for process development and production, and a regulated “R” model with additional traceability of components for regulatory compliance. The system provides flow rates up to 600 mL/min for a single pump, and twice that with two pumps. The intelligent packing feature allows customers to pack their own columns and the system will adjust to the proper fit, increasing efficiency of resin use. This is the first ÄKTA to feature snap fittings, providing faster, intuitive connections. The system can accommodate columns with internal diameters from 2.6 cm to about 50 cm. The price varies depending on the number of pumps and valves and the region, but a starting price in Germany would be about €110,000 ($123,596 =€0.89 = $1) for the S model, and somewhat more for the R version.

GE also touted the benefits of its prismA resins for protein A, released at the end of last year. The new material can withstand the use of 1M NaOH, and has better binding capacity and degrades more slowly over multiple cycles than previous resins.

Waters has replaced some of its ACQUITY systems with new Plus versions, namely the H-class Plus, I-Class Plus and H-class Plus Bio. Improvements and enhancements have been guided by feedback from users and internal development, increasing performance, ease of use and uptime. The precision and sensitivity of the injection pump has been improved, while more intuitive tool-free fittings make the system easier to handle. All systems are field upgradeable to the Plus configuration. They are now available for order and will be shipping the week of analytica.

The H-class plus includes the ability to set a pH profile for a run, and the software can automatically mix buffers to match that profile. The I-class has increased speed compared to competitive products, with injection to injection times as low as 11 seconds. A number of personalization kits are also available to help customers to meet their specific application needs.

MS

SCIEX, a Danaher company, heralded the European launch of Citrine, originally introduced in January in the US. The system is available in both a triple quadrupole and Qtrap MS configurations and represents a high-end solution for clinical MS to complement the mid-range Topaz product launched last year. The sensitivity and power of the system will enable testing for low-level steroids and other demanding applications involving metabolites and biomarkers, and should be a powerful platform for years to come as further applications are developed. Development of expert diagnostic tests will also be a significant market for the system.

Naturally, the system can also carry out more routine approved tests, such as for vitamin D, and thus the system can be a one-product solution for many clinical labs that will support traditional, current, and future diagnostic tests. The system can be used with a SCIEX LC, but can also be used with third-party chromatographs, which would typically appeal to those developing their own LDTs. The system was officially available for shipment on the first of April.

Materials Characterization

Beckman Coulter, another Danaher company, officially launched the LS 13 320 XR particle analyzer, a completely redesigned system building on the success of its namesake the LS 13 320, which has been a leading product for many years. The new system offers an extremely broad size range from a real particle size of 10 nm to 3.5 mm. The smallest particle sizes are reached with the use of polarization intensity differential scattering (PIDS) technology, which uses the effect of polarization on scattering to get beyond the standard size limits for laser diffraction. For users that do not require measurement of particles that deep into the nanoscale, the PIDS detector is optional, and the remaining diffraction system can measure down to 400 nm. The system can run wet or dry samples, and depending on options, is priced at $60,000–$100,000.

Molecular Spectroscopy

Bruker unveiled the INVENIO research platform for FTIR, the result of a multi-year development program. The new product is intended to be the established platform (replacing the Vertex 70) for the next 10 years in Bruker’s portfolio. The system features MultiTect, a detector solution that includes 5 room temperature detectors with an additional detector slot for an optional nitrogen-cooled or other detector. The system has a transit channel for quick MIR measurements. It is possible to make simultaneous MIR and FIR measurements. The touchscreen system is designed for applications in basic and applied R&D.

Based on feedback from the launch of their original product last January, IR Sweep introduced its second generation mid-IR spectrometer at the show, the IRisF1. Improvements include the ability to use more standard IR accessories with the sample. The system has some unique capabilities, due to the underlying technology: frequency comb spectroscopy, with a quantum cascade laser. One advantage of this system over traditional FTIR is the time resolution of a microsecond, allowing reaction monitoring in a single measurement for faster processes than standard FTIR. Applications include kinetics of protein interactions, catalysts and other chemical reactions. The complete wavelength range is 5 to 11 µm, but users must choose a particular laser for experiments, which will have a narrower accessible bandwidth. While somewhat limiting, this allows researchers to focus on the area of interest, with a better signal-to-noise ratio. Customers are primarily from academic laboratories, but it is hoped that the system will expand into other end-markets. The new version of the IRspectrometer is expected to ship in June at a base price of about $170,000 outfitted with a single laser.

PerkinElmer displayed its new fluorescence spectrometer, the FL-6500, which is currently in beta testing with shipments expected in July. The system is a new platform and can be configured with a continuous source for materials applications and a gentler source for life science applications. Magnetic accessories snap into place for increased ease of use. The system supports all classical fluorescence methods, such as lifetime fluorescence measurements, and newly offers solutions for pharma compliance.

Metrohm’s Raman business launched a new security/first responder system, marking the company’s entrance into an entirely new application space. Based on the existing handheld Mira product, the Mira DS is designed for applications involving the detection of illicit drugs, explosives and other hazards. Among the available compatible options are standoff optics and SERS substrates for trace-residue applications. The system launched in March at a price of about $40,000.

WITec showed off a new version of its alpha confocal Raman microscope system, now adapted for use with inverted microscopes, enabling examination from underneath the sample. The alpha 300 Ri will appeal to many life science researchers who are interested in examining samples in aqueous solutions in microplates and other life science formats for studying cells. WITec has partnered with Nikon for the light microscope, and the system can rapidly change from fluorescence imaging to Raman imaging. Users can set scan areas and pixel size for the Raman imaging, and can also step the focal plane to build up 3D images of their samples. The system is now available; pricing information was not disclosed.

Sample Preparation

Markes International presented the centri sample automation and concentration system. This is a one-of-a-kind system for multiple types of sample preparation, which could be invaluable for labs that run many different sample types, such as food, fragrance and environmental labs; non-regulated clinical methods would also see advantages. The flexibility of the system makes it ideal for methods development. The centri can accommodate sampling by four different methods: headspace, SPME, sorption and thermal desorption. Robotics developed by CTC can manipulate the probes and carry out the proper procedures for sample preparation for solid, liquid and gaseous samples. The system is also outfitted with a Peltier cooled trap so that samples can be split, allowing further tests to be run on a portion of the same sample. analytica was day one of the product launch, with shipments expected by July. Pricing is still being determined.