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How do Pharmaceutical Laboratories Approach Elemental Impurity Analysis?
May 14th 2025Spectroscopy sat down with James Harrington of Research Triangle Institute (RTI International) in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, who was the lead author of this study, as well as coauthor Donna Seibert of Kalamazoo, Michigan. In Part I of our conversation with Harrington and Seibert, they discuss the impact of ICH Q3D and United States Pharmacopeia (USP) <232>/<233> guidelines on elemental impurity analysis and how they designed their study.
Exploring Data Transforms in Chemometrics
May 14th 2025Our “Chemometrics in Spectroscopy” column highlights the methodology that is used in order to apply chemometric methods to data. Integrating chemometrics with spectroscopy allows scientists to understand solutions to their problems when they encounter surprising results. Recently, columnists Howard Mark and Jerome Workman, Jr., wrote a series of articles about data transforms in chemometric calibrations. In this listicle, we profile all pieces in this series and invite you to learn more about applying chemometric models to continuous spectral data.
New SERS Platform Enhances Real-Time Detection of Cardiovascular Drugs in Blood
May 13th 2025Researchers at Harbin Medical University recently developed a SERS-based diagnostic platform that uses DNA-driven “molecular hooks” and AI analysis to enable real-time detection of cardiovascular drugs in blood while eliminating interference from larger biomolecules.
Best of the Week: Hawaii’s Hidden Geology, Waters Announces Software Update
May 9th 2025Top articles published this week include an announcement from Waters Corporation, a news story about the hidden geology of the Big Island of Hawaii, the latest “IR Spectral Interpretation” column, which focuses on analyzing carbonyl compounds, and wearable spectroscopy sensors.
Using Spectroscopy to Understand Hawaii’s Hidden Geology
May 8th 2025Researchers from the University of Nevada, Reno, have conducted the most comprehensive subsurface analysis of Hawaiian shield basalts to date, using advanced spectroscopic and geochemical techniques to reveal short-lived hydrothermal alteration processes and establish a new foundation for future volcanic and geothermal studies.
Inside the Laboratory: The Weker Group at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Part IV
May 6th 2025In this edition of “Inside the Laboratory,” Johanna Nelson Weker of SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory discusses her laboratory’s work in battery analysis. In the final part of our interview, Weker continues our discussion of battery cell geometries and why computed laminography is a good technique to use for this purpose.
New Imaging Method Offers Breakthrough in Forest Soil and Tree Analysis
May 5th 2025A new study published in Geoderma Regional by J. A. Arias-Rios and colleagues at IFAB demonstrates that near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is a rapid, cost-effective tool for assessing soil and tree traits critical to forest ecosystem monitoring and management.
Best of the Week: National Space Day, Battery Analysis
May 2nd 2025Top articles published this week include interviews from our National Space Day content series, a news story about satellite-based spectroscopy, and an interview about battery analysis conducted at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.
Using Spectroscopy to Measure Geochemical Transformations of Gypsum for Ca-Sulfate Detection on Mars
May 2nd 2025Research was conducted exploring the dehydration pathways of gypsum (CaSO₄·2H₂O) and its interactions with chloride (Cl) salts under a range of thermal and environmental conditions relevant to Earth and Mars.Spectroscopy spoke to Merve Yeşilbaş, corresponding author of a paper based on this work (1), about the research.
The Role of LIBS in ChemCam and SuperCam: An Interview with Kelsey Williams, Part III
May 2nd 2025In this extended Q&A interview, we sit down with Kelsey Williams, a postdoctoral researcher at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), who is working on planetary instrumentation using spectroscopic techniques such as laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and laser ablation molecular isotopic spectrometry (LAMIS). In Part III, Williams goes into detail about ChemCam and SuperCam and how LIBS is used in both these instruments.