News from LabRulezICPMS Library - Week 3, 2025

Our Library never stops expanding. What are the most recent contributions to LabRulezICPMS Library in the week of 13th January 2025? Check out new documents from the field of spectroscopy/spectrometry and related techniques!

👉 SEARCH THE LARGEST REPOSITORY OF DOCUMENTS ABOUT SPECTROSCOPY/SPECTROMETRY RELATED TECHNIQUES

👉 Need info about different analytical techniques? Peek into LabRulezLCMS or LabRulezGCMS libraries.

This week we bring you applications by ALS Europe, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Agilent Technologies and Shimadzu!

1. ALS Europe: Isotope Ratio Analysis Solves Complex Problems

• Technical note
• Full PDF for download

ALS Laboratories are one of the few in the world to offer commercial isotope ratio testing services not only for radiogenic systems (Sr, Nd, Pu, U) and light stable isotopes (Li, B, Si), but also for heavy stable elements such as Ag, Ca, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mo, Si, and Zn.

All of these isotope ratio tests can be used as a fingerprint to provide information about origin or geological age, and have potential to be used for tracing pollution and exposure sources.

ALS Capabilities for Isotope Ratio Analysis

ALS experts have more than 30 years of research and commercial testing experience for stable isotope ratio analysis using both High Resolution Sector Field ICP-MS (ICP-SFMS) and Multi-Collector ICP-MS (MC-ICP-MS) instrumentation. Our expert team has made substantial contributions to the field of isotope ratio analysis with 170 peer-reviewed publications. ALS laboratories offer isotope ratio analyses for more than 20 stable and radiogenic isotopic systems in a variety of sample matrices with high precision, even where sample concentrations are very low.

2. Thermo Fisher Scientific: Highly sensitive and reliable analysis of distillate products as per ASTM Method D8110 using single quadrupole ICP-MS

• Application note
• Full PDF for download

The goal of this application note is to demonstrate the performance of an analytical method for routine analysis of typical samples relevant to the petrochemical industry, including starting materials such as crude oil but also products such as naphtha, with different boiling ranges using single quadrupole ICP-MS following the guidelines provided in ASTM Method D8110 Standard Test Method for Elemental Analysis of Distillate Products by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS).

Conclusions

The results obtained from the experiments described in this application note demonstrate the following:

• The proposed method and instrument set-up for elemental analysis of different petroleum products using the iCAP MSX ICP-MS represents a viable solution for laboratories performing oil and refinery product testing.
• The combination of the sample introduction system together with a uniquely robust plasma generation system and a powerful CRC allows for sensitive analysis and comprehensive interference removal for all elements commonly analyzed in the industry. A common sample preparation method encompassing simple dilution of any products with either higher viscosity or lower boiling point in PremiSolv offers complete flexibility for the analysis of a variety of based petroleum sample matrices.
• The use of KED with helium provided effective for removal of polyatomic interferences commonly observed in such challenging matrices, as was demonstrated by the detection limits and blank equivalent concentrations (BECs) achieved.
• The method therefore allows the accurate and precise determination of a total of 28 elements in different kinds of distillate products, as was demonstrated by the results obtained in the spike recovery test.
• If needed, other reactive gases can be used in a multi-mode analysis performed during a single aspiration of a sample, including alternative cell gases such as hydrogen. Thanks to the fast gas switching in the QCell CRC, the added time for switching cell gases is often negligible for the overall analysis time per sample.

Taken together, the results obtained demonstrate that the proposed analytical method can be used in routine laboratories to achieve high-throughput, robust, and reliable analytical results with minimum downtime of the system.

3. Agilent Technologies: Improved Lab Efficiency with the Agilent 18-Cell Changer Accessory

• Application note
• Full PDF for download

Evaluation of an Agilent Cary 60 UV-Vis spectrophotometer workflow using the 18-cell changer accessory

Introduction

In laboratory settings, time is of the essence. The speed at which any experiment can be conducted is important, and any advantages that can improve speed are critical. It is equally important that analytical workflows are optimized for maximum instrument use and minimal operator interaction.

The Agilent Cary 60 UV-Vis spectrophotometer is a flexible, powerful, and reliable UV-Vis system, ideal for routine analysis. To further improve workflow efficiency, the Cary 60 UV-Vis can be equipped with the Agilent 18-cell changer accessory. The 18-cell changer can measure up to 18 cuvettes in sequence, without any user interaction.

This technical overview compares a Cary 60 UV-Vis workflow using the 18-cell changer accessory versus a single-cell holder accessory to evaluate differences in terms of analysis time, data quality, user interaction, ease of use, and efficiency.

Conclusion

In summary, the Agilent 18-cell changer accessory for the Agilent Cary 60 UV-Vis spectrophotometer provides a range of benefits to laboratories and technicians alike. Compared to a single-cell holder, it dramatically increases efficiency by reducing the time taken to complete experiments and limiting the need for operator interaction, all without compromising the quality of results.

4. Shimadzu: Sensitivity Evaluation and Example Analysis of Microscopic Targets with Thermoelectrically Cooled MCT Detector

• Application note
• Full PDF for download

User Benefits

• A thermoelectrically cooled MCT detector can measure microscopic targets down to 25 μm in size without needing liquid nitrogen.
• An MCT detector is compatible with transmission, reflection, and ATR method for analyzing a range of sample types.
• For targets smaller than 25 μm, the standard T2SL detector can measure targets down to 10 μm in size with good sensitivity.

Introduction

Infrared spectroscopy is extremely useful for qualitative analysis of organic compounds and some inorganic compounds. Infrared microscopy can be used for spectroscopic analysis of microscopic targets that are otherwise difficult to analyze. The AIMsight Infrared Microscope and the infrared mode of the AIRsight Infrared/Raman Microscope are equipped as standard with the T2SL detector, which can analyze microscopic targets down to 10 μm in size if it is cooled with liquid nitrogen. However, the difficulties associated with procuring and handling liquid nitrogen mean there is increasing demand for infrared spectroscopic analysis of microscopic targets without using liquid nitrogen.

The thermoelectrically cooled (TEC) MCT detector is a new optional detector in Shimadzu’s product lineup that can analyze microscopic targets down to 25 μm in size without liquid nitrogen. This Application News compares this new detector with existing detectors and presents two example analyses of microscopic targets using the new detector.

Conclusion

This Application News compares the sensitivity of the new TEC MCT detector with existing detectors and presents two example analyses performed using the TEC MCT detector. The comparisons show the TEC MCT detector, which operates without liquid nitrogen, can measure targets as small as 25 μm with good sensitivity, and it is compatible with reflection and ATR spectroscopy as well as transmission spectroscopy for analysis of a range of sample types.

The T2SL detector, which requires liquid nitrogen, is recommended when analyzing targets smaller than 25 μm or when using fewer scans to shorten the analysis time. However, the minimum target size for infrared spectroscopic analysis with the T2SL detector is 10 μm, so targets smaller than 10 μm, Raman spectroscopy with the AIRsight infrared/Raman microscope should be used.