Atomic Spectroscopy

Bruker introduced the Q2 ION at its Pittcon press conference. The Q2 ION is a compact benchtop arc-spark spectrometer. It is a cost-effective complement to handheld XRF for metals analysis at smaller foundries and recycling centers. The system is now available at a price of roughly $35,000.

Following the success of its Terra portable X-ray diffraction/X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) instrument, inXitu launched a benchtop laboratory version, the BTX II. The system performs powder diffraction and offers qualitative XRF data. The system launched in February at a price of about $45,000.

LECO’s TruMac nitrogen/protein analyzer provides automated oxidation analysis of the total nitrogen content of samples of up to 3 g in mass. The system began shipping in December at a price of about $60,000.

PerkinElmer unveiled a new series of benchtop ICP-MS instruments, the NexION 300. This seventh generation ICP-MS represents more than just an evolution of the Elan series, as all but a few components have been completely redesigned. In order to minimize interferences, the system can perform either reaction or collision in the same cell. The four models in the series, which are completely upgradeable, are available now at prices comparable to previous PerkinElmer Elan DRC instruments.

Spectro Analytical (AMETEK) introduced a novel ICP-MS platform, the Spectro MS. The mass analyzer is a magnetic sector instrument in the Mattauch-Herzog geometry. The advantage of this geometry is that all of the ions are focused simultaneously onto the flat CMOS detector, which has roughly 20 channels per mass unit. This offers greater resolution and obviates the need for a collision or reaction cell to eliminate interferences. Isotopic ratio studies and transient effects can also be performed on the system, which is considerably faster than a standard quadrupole ICP-MS. The system covers the mass range from lithium to uranium, and is priced at about $200,000.

Spectro Inc., specialists in the analysis of engine oils, presented the Spectroil Q100 rotating anode emission spectrometer. The system is compactly designed and offers a CCD detector. It is now available at a price of about $65,000.

Gas Chromatography

Agilent introduced the 5975T Low Thermal Mass (LTM) GC/MSD, a transportable GC/MS system for laboratory-quality analysis. Agilent has developed the 5975T LTM GC/MS to be smaller, more rugged and to consume less power than in-lab GC/MS instruments, yet capable of the same performance in the field. Agilent’s LTM technology eliminates the conventional GC oven by wrapping the GC column with a heating element and temperature sensor, providing rapid heating and cooling of the column for higher throughput. Compared to lab systems, the 5975T reduces power consumption by 46%, shrinks the footprint by 38% and reduces weight by 35%. The product will ship in the late summer at a price of around $100,000.

Thermo Fisher Scientific showed the TSQ Quantum XLS GC with the new DuraBrite IRIS high-sensitivity ion source. The TSQ Quantum XLS delivers ion source inertness, sensitivity in the low femtogram range and higher quantitative precision at trace levels. The Quantum XLS combines a high-precision hyperbolic quadrupole rod analyzer with high-speed data acquisition and an upgrade in software. The system employs a 90-degree collision cell for increased high signal-to-noise ratio detection.

Zoex introduced the FasTOF GCxGC high-resolution Time-of-Flight (TOF) MS. The system features a unique technique that “puffs in” calibration reagents every eight seconds, allowing for zero drift and exact mass measurements of up to seven digits. The system delivers a 130:1 signal-to-noise ratio and picogram sensitivity. The system is priced at $300,000.

Informatics

Agilent introduced the OpenLAB Software Portfolio designed to capture, share, review and archive scientific data. Agilent OpenLAB consists of three integrated solutions. The Agilent OpenLAB Chromatography Data System (CDS) is based on the ChemStation and EZChrom Elite instrument systems. OpenLAB Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) lets scientists capture and manage the details from experiments and collaborate with cross-discipline teams, while protecting intellectual property. OpenLAB Enterprise Content Management (ECM) system is a secure, central repository for capturing, managing, sharing, archiving and reusing any data in most file formats.

Thermo Fisher Scientific launched its Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) enterprise-class LIMS. LIMS-on-Demand allows organizations of varying types and sizes to leverage all the benefits of a LIMS solution without on-premise software installation and provides flexibility.

Liquid Chromatography

Eksigent introduced the ExpressLC-Ultra, a microscale Ultra High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC) system that runs at column pressures up to 10,000 psi. It features a CCD-based UV detector and automated solvent switching. The fiber-optic flow cell can be connected and exchanged without alignment. The system is currently shipping at a price comparable to other UHPLC systems.

Shimadzu unveiled its Nexera UHPLC system at Pittcon. It enables analyses at pressures up to 130 MPa (19,000 psi). The system can perform micro LC, conventional LC, isocratic to ternary high-pressure gradient LC, and multidimensional LC. Nexera employs a fast injection system that shortens the cycle time for higher throughput. A newly designed injection port and fine-tipped needle features multiple-rinse solvent selection and injection port and internal needle rinse. The system offers preheating for solvents and an advanced Intelligent Heat Balancer to minimize band broadening during high-temperature LC analysis. The system, which will begin shipping in June, is priced at $65,000–$100,000.

Mass Spectrometry

Agilent introduced the 6150B Series single quad MS that matches the speed of UHPLC systems. The 6150B Series is designed for drug discovery synthesis and can scan at 10,000 amu per second. The system is equipped with a novel inlet system featuring Agilent’s Jet Stream Technology that uses super-heated sheath gas to focus the ion stream entering the MS. The system is currently available and is priced at $165,000.

Almsco, a Markes International company, exhibited the BenchTOF-dx reflectron TOF MS system, designed for GC-TOF and GCxGC-TOF. The system can be integrated with most GC systems. It features a spectral acquisition rate of over 500 spectra per second and a signal to noise ratio of greater than 800:1 in full-scan mode. The product is shipping. Pricing information was unavailable.

The Miniature Chemical Detector is a handheld ion trap MS introduced by 1st Detect (a division of Astrotech). The system weighs just 15 lb and has a mass range up to 450 amu. Analysis time is just two seconds, and the system has MSn capability. The product should begin shipments later this year at a price between $30,000 and $50,000.

Smiths Detection showed off a new extension of the Hazardous Gas and Vapor Identifier (HGVI). The HGVI systems use ion mobility spectrometry and other detection technologies to identify toxic industrial chemicals and threats. The HGVI Linx unit, new this year, coordinates the data collected from up to 16 HGVI units. The HGVI unit is $35,000 for each handset, while the Linx controller is around $15,000. Smiths has also introduced a smaller, personal, military version of the HGVI.

Materials Characterization

Affinity Biosensors demonstrated its novel Archimedes system for measuring particle masses suspended in fluid. The system makes use of a microfluidic system. The physical resonant frequency of a section of the channel is affected by the mass of particles passing through it, providing a highly direct mass measurement of the particles. The system also provides particle counting and sizing. The first system is due to be installed at Australia’s National Measurement Institute later in March. The system is priced at $63,000.

Brookfield Engineering exhibited the PFT Powder Flow Tester. Available since January, the $15,000 instrument measures aspects of powder flow, such as flow and wall friction, which is important in optimizing industrial powder processing.

HORIBA introduced the nanoparticle model SZ-100 particle size analyzer with zeta potential. Following an earlier release in Japan, the system is expected to begin shipping in June in the US at a price of about $60,000.

Microtrac launched several products in its new “Total Solutions” suite of particle characterization instruments. Among the more intriguing were the new zeta potential instruments, the Zetaview and Stabisizer. The Zetaview is a microscopic imaging system that also provides electrophoretic mobility, and deduced particle size, on particles down to 80 nm. The Stabisizer performs charge titration on macromolecular solutions and particle dispersions, offering analysis on particles down to a half a nanometer in size. A complementary particle sizing unit can also be added. Both systems are recent releases, with prices ranging from $35,000 to $60,000.

NanoSight has taken its nanoparticle tracking technology and migrated it from a microscope-based system into the new self-contained NS500 platform. The system provides size distribution, concentration and fluorescence information of particles down to about 10 nm. The first few systems have recently been installed in the UK, and US shipments are now ready at a price of about $55,000.

Quantachrome’s Autosorb iQ is a two-station micropore analyzer, providing independent but parallel measurement in two stations. The system can perform either gas sorption or chemisorption studies. The base system is available now at a price of $45,000; if an optional MS analyzer is added to the system, the total system can exceed $100,000.

Spectro Inc. introduced the SpectroLNF Q200, a multiparameter instrument for the measurement of debris in lubricants. The system provides particle count, shape analysis and viscosity at a price of just $28,000.

Molecular Spectroscopy

Ahura Scientific (now part of Thermo Fisher Scientific) released the FirstDefender RM and FirstDefender RMX, the second-generation incarnations of its groundbreaking handheld Raman system. The new version is half the size, but with five times the speed. A fixed fiber-optic probe distinguishes the RMX model. Pittcon was the public launch of these instruments, with prices starting from $43,000.

Bruker introduced the Fourier 300, a 300 MHz NMR system the size of a computer tower that provides Fourier Transform (FT) NMR analysis to cost-conscious researchers and pharmaceutical companies that may not have had access to this technique before. It is available with the 1H/13C probe. The system is now available at a price of about $150,000.

At a distributor’s booth, Digilab debuted its Identify Raman Reader, a Raman microplate reader. Measurements of one well per second enable higher-throughput Raman spectroscopy using a microtiter plate, 192-well glass slide or tablet holder. Applications include process control and biodiesel testing. The product is shipping at a price of $32,500.

Hitachi High-Technologies presented two new spectrometers, which are slated to begin shipping in the next two months. The F-2700 fluorescence spectrophotometer is just as sensitive as Hitachi’s higher-end F-7000, but geared toward more routine analysis with a price of $13,500. The U-5100 UV-Vis single-beam spectrometer is also designed for routine or QC applications, at a price of just $5,000.

HORIBA introduced a number of molecular spectroscopy instruments at Pittcon. The SEPA-500 is a compact benchtop polarimeter. Introduced in September 2009 in Japan, the system is now ready for US shipments at an undisclosed price. HORIBA also showed the AccuRA transmission Raman spectrometer, intended primarily for bulk analysis of pharmaceutical tablets. The system has been selling for a month at a price of about $130,000–$140,000. HORIBA also introduced an inverted microscope version of its successful XploRA Raman microscope platform. The lower-cost inverted version of the microscope is priced at roughly $150,000.

JASCO presented two new molecular spectroscopy platforms. The NRS-5000/7000 Raman spectrometer can accommodate up to eight lasers and provides rapid, high-resolution spectral imaging of samples. This high-performance research system has a spatial resolution of 30 nm in confocal mode and can capture 200 spectra per second. The first units were shipped a week before Pittcon. A typical system with several lasers would cost $150,000–$250,000. The FVS-6000 VCD measures circular dichroism in the infrared, an important region for protein structure analysis. The standalone system is priced somewhat in excess of $100,000 and will soon ship in the US following an earlier release in Japan. JASCO has also made the technology available as an accessory to its FTIR instruments.

Thermo Fisher Scientific also released two laboratory molecular spectrometers of note at Pittcon. The Evolution Array enhances the capabilities of Thermo’s existing Evolution line of UV-Vis spectrometers through the use of a Photodiode Array (PDA) detector. The new system provides not only faster analysis, but simultaneous measurement of complete spectra. Thermo also introduced the Lumina research fluorescence instrument, which combines a narrow 0.5 nm bandwidth with rapid scanning speeds. Both instruments are immediately available at prices that range from $15,000 to $25,000.

Other

Pittcon 2010 witnessed not just the launch of a product, but an entire company. Forston Labs used the show to make its debut in the business world. The company’s flagship product is the Lab Navigator, a handheld unit that can accommodate multiple sensors simultaneously, including a spectrophotometer, pH, turbidity, colorimetry, as well as GPS data to provide geopositioning data to the other measurements. In addition to Forston Labs sensors, the Lab Navigator will also work with Ocean Optics’ USB spectrometers and other devices. The main unit is available now for just $1,249, while the sensor modules are available separately, generally for a few hundred dollars at most.

Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Gallery instrument brings the versatility and robustness of a clinical analyzer into the industrial lab. Designed to carry out automated applications in food, environmental and other areas, the Gallery provides electrochemical, colorimetric and enzymatic methods in a single menu-driven system with internal reagents. The benchtop system will begin shipping in June at a price of around $45,000.

Sample Preparation

CEM introduced the Discover SP-D pressurized microwave digestion system, which is capable of digesting samples in 10 minutes or less, compared to an hour for other microwave systems, according to CEM. The Discover SP-D system employs a focused single-mode cavity designed to maximize the microwave energy input to the sample in a high-density field. Where traditional microwave digestors utilize up to 1600 W, the Discover SP-D utilizes 300 W of energy. The system features CEM’s PowerMax simultaneous cooling technology, resulting in faster digestions and rapid cooling. The system uses a 10 mL or 35 mL quart vessel with ActiVent Pressure Control Technology, which enables excess gas produced during digestion to automatically vent in a controlled manner. Despite the small vessel size, the system can digest up to 0.5 g of organic material more efficiently, utilizing less solvent than conventional systems. The base system comes with a 48-sample automation deck and a price tag of $25,000. The system will be shipping in April.

Surface Science

Anasys Instruments introduced the nanoIR, which combines the high resolution of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) imaging with the chemical analysis capabilities of IR spectroscopy. When the sample is irradiated with a tunable IR laser, the absorption of this energy instigates a thermal expansion of the material, which is detected by the AFM cantilever. Deconvolution of the cantilever oscillations produces a highly localized IR spectrum that correlates well with standard bulk FTIR spectra. The main application for the nanoIR is in polymer science. The system is available now at a price of about $250,000.

Synthesis

Protein Technologies launched the OVERTURE Robotic Peptide Library Synthesizer, which can synthesize 0.005–24 mmol scale proteins. Six reaction blocks can hold up to 96 (10 mL) or 24 (40 mL or 45 mL) reaction vessels. The system is equipped with 49 amino acid positions, six solvent bottle positions and variable-speed vortex mixing. An automated amino acid delivery strategy alleviates the need for rinsing capillaries or tips between deliveries. A robotic arm moves the bottle to the reaction vessel and dispenses the correct volume of reagents. Currently available, the system is priced at around $100,000.