13.01.2012

Dried Blood Spot Analysis - A Fully Automated System

Dried Blood Spot (DBS) Analysis has become during the last few years a hot topic in bioanalytics for many reasons: Less blood per sample, easier logistics due to longer shelf life, non-hazardous samples, storage at ambient temperature... and finally reduced costs. Ethically the replacement, reduction and refinement of animal testing (the so-called ‘3Rs') are a permanent issue and DBS is fully in-line with those aims. This article will take a closer look at the progress achieved towards a fully automated system for routine DBS analysis. more26.07.2010

Touch and Titrate

Powerful as a personal computer, smaller than a netbook and as easy to use as an iPhone - that is the 900 Touch Control. Users of Metrohm's new benchtop control module start their titrimetric analyses at a single touch. 16 million colors provide for a brilliant visual experience and thanks to the module's network capability the full range of laboratory data communication possibilities is available.   more26.07.2010

Tube Auditing Improves Results

Significant time and effort is expended in screening chemical and biological sample libraries; however, no matter how advanced the screening system, the end results are only as good as the quality of the sample in the microplate wells. Survey data suggests that up to 5% of plate wells may be empty, and 3-5% may have samples at the wrong concentration. Knowing the sample volume in the source microtube, and whether there is any precipitate, prior to plating, is key to avoiding screening empty wells, or samples at the... more23.07.2010

Titration with Alcoholic Potassium Hydroxide Solution

In the production control and quality monitoring of our corrosion protection, hydraulic, cutting and gear oils, we determine the acid content by titration (color change). Depending on the task definition, we use either a 0.1 M or 0.5 M alcoholic potassium hydroxide (KOH) solution. Alcoholic KOH is considered to be a difficult titration medium due to the extensive crystallization, and not every burette passes the practical usage test. Until now, we have worked with glass burettes and on a trial basis with the Burette Digital III. more23.07.2010

Ecology Squared

Nowadays active environmental protection is an absolute must in chemical and pharmaceutical laboratories. For all applications dealing with vacuum this implies the recovery of the solvents pumped through the vacuum system. Unfortunately often there is no coolant available or it is undesirable at the vacuum pump location. The new "Peltronic" exhaust vapor condenser has an integrated electronic chiller without the need for any internal or external liquid coolant. It offers new perspectives for environmentally friendly solvent recovery without any need for a coolant supply. more23.07.2010

When Semiconduction Melts up with Biotechnology

Advalytix, founded 2000 as a spin-off from the Center for Nanoscience at Ludwig-Maximilian-University (LMU) in Munich, is now a part of Olympus Life Science Research Europa GmbH. The idea of the start-up company was to combine the scientific expertise of biotechnologists on one hand and engineers from the semiconductor field on the other. Today, the team forms Olympus' centre of excellence for... more23.07.2010

Assay-ready Serial Dilution Plates

Preparation of assay ready plates is becoming the key to maximizing throughput in many HTS departments. Many assay protocols require the accurate serial dilution of compound stock solutions so streamlining this process using an automated liquid handler can prove very time and cost efficient. more23.07.2010

Titrations

When titration is a critical, repetitive part of work either in process monitoring during production, quality control in chemistry and pharmaceutical industries or in research and development, two common properties are desirable: The equipment used should be easy and reliable to operate and the results must be available quick and they have to be accurate. more