Spectroscopy-05-01-2010

Howard Mark brings readers his annual report on all that was new and innovative at Pittcon, held this year in Orlando, Florida at the Orange County Convention Center.

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Guest authors Steve Wilbur and Ed McCurdy discuss the role of qualifier ions in ICP-MS research in this month's installment of "Atomic Perspectives."

Until recently, triple-quadrupole gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) has been a relatively obscure segment of the GC–MS market. However, it is now exploding into a major market segment. New entrants and recent instrument introductions indicate that there has been a significant unmet need in the GC–MS market for such capabilities.

In this month's installment of "Chemometrics in Spectroscopy," the authors begin a new subseries with the goal of explaining the classical least squares algorithm.

When long-time Spectroscopy columnist and industry expert Bob McDowall wrote in the November 2009 issue of Spectroscopy, "The new FDA Commissioner wants a strong FDA and is backing her words with action," he had no idea how right he was ("The Tiger Has Sharp New Teeth," Spectroscopy 24[11], 23–29, 2009). Here we are just five months later, and the internet, cable news networks, and radio talk shows are all abuzz with the latest initiative put in place by the U.S. FDA and its commissioner, Dr. Margaret Hamburg, to limit the amount of sodium Americans consume.

ICP-AES, specified by the U.S. EPA Method 200.7, is capable of fulfilling requirements for analyzing a total of 32 metals and trace elements in supplied water, natural water, and wastewater. Here, the authors look at this method and its application to water analysis.

Click the title above to open the Spectroscopy May 2010 regular issue, Vol 25 No 5, in an interactive PDF format.