April 12th 2024
Here are the top five articles that the editors of Spectroscopy published this week.
Market Profile: Portable Mass Spectrometers
February 1st 2008The concept of portable mass spectrometry has been around for some time, but the realization of such technology has been largely limited until very recently. More than ever before, recent technological advances now make smaller, lighter, and more effective mass spectrometers possible. Such advances will lend themselves to a growing spectrum of applications as well.
Quantitative Mass Spectrometry: Part II
October 1st 2007In this month's installment, columnist Ken Busch continues his discussion of quantitative mass spectrometry with a look at the "cancel out" claim and some of the statistical underpinnings for the proportional comparison of instrument responses for standard knowns and unknowns.
In this article, the role of a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer in performing in vitro studies of compound metabolic stability and identification of Phase I and II metabolites is demonstrated.
Spectroscopy Demand Expected to Outpace the Industry in 2006
March 1st 2006Realistically, 2005 was a good year for the laboratory analytical and life science instrument industry. Although growth has moderated from that experienced in the 1990s, a general rebound in worldwide industrial demand, and continued spending for life science and strong growth in Asia and North America drove instrument systems and aftermarket sales. Similar to last year, 2006 should be a year of healthy sales growth as global economic conditions support continued market expansion.
Influence of Na+ and K+ Concentration in solvents on Mass Spectra of Peptides in LC–ESI-MS
February 1st 2006The concentration dependent influence of Na+ and K+ions on mass spectra of peptides is shown with human gastrin as a model peptide. With electrospray ionization the doubly charged protonated molecule ion [M+2H]2+ is normally the preferred ionization product. However, trace amounts of alkali metal ions already form clusters (adducts) with the peptide molecule, such as [M+H+Na]2+, which become dominating at higher concentrations. With Na+/K+ concentrations below 0.1 mg/kg (ppm) only a few clusters appear, which allow the correct doubly charged molecule ion to be assigned for a subsequent MS–MS experiment. With concentrations of 10 ppm and higher the alkali clusters become the most abundant peaks in the spectrum, and the absolute sensitivity is decreased by a factor of 5–10. Experiments were performed with water and water–methanol mixtures with a known Na+/K+ +content.
Process Monitoring: In-line, At-line, or Slip-stream?
February 1st 2006As process analytical technology (PAT) moves out of the laboratory and into the plant and to the process stream itself, the question arises, "What is the best way to collect data from stream samples?" The author shows that this depends upon both the nature of the stream and the components to be measured.
ICP-MS Speciation Analysis: Three Roles of Selenium
February 1st 2006The element selenium plays three distinct roles in biological processes, functioning in turn as a toxicant, a chemopreventive agent, and a heavy metal antagonist. This article discusses current research associated with each role, and how ICP-MS can be employed to better understand and utilize selenium's properties.
End of the Spectrum: The Changing Trend in U.S. Research Funding
February 1st 2006Most of the 2.2 billion dollars increase in the 2006 federal research and development budget will go toward defense weapons development and human space exploration technologies, according to the American Association for the Advancement of Science.