Caroline Hroncich
During Analytica 2024, experts from across Europe came together to discuss the latest trends and challenges in chemometrics. The session was chaired by Claudia Beleites, chief executive officer and owner of Chemometric GmbH, and Marcel Dahms, data analyst at LightGuard GmbH in Germany. Topics include calibration transfer and domain adaptation spectrometry, transfer and multivariate regression models between infrared (IR) and near-infrared (NIR) instruments as applied to electronic cigarettes, and how portable NIR devices can be used for the analysis of illicit drugs.
Using Spectroscopy to Tackle Climate Change
Caroline Hroncich
As part of Analytica 2024, there was a session where multiple experts spoke about how new gas sensors can help address the needs of energy transitions. Sensing technology can help scientists better detect gases in the environment, which is timely as scientists work to develop better strategies for addressing challenges like climate change. Topics include the decarbonization of industrial processes, Raman gas analysis for energy transition, and using saturated-absorption cavity ring-down spectroscopy (SCAR) to address global warming, among others.
New Instrument Development in Spectroscopy
John Chasse
In an Analytica 2024 session hosted by Uwe Karst of the University of Münster, experts from various universities and companies discussed the latest trends in spectroscopy technology, and how they can be used in various applications. During the first presentation, Boris Mizaikoff of Ulm University discussing sensing platforms that benefit from cascade lasers combined with miniaturized photonic platforms providing direct access to molecule-specific information. This was followed by other scientists, including Svenja Berit Seiffert of BASF in Germany, who discussed her team’s recent research into laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) being combined with immunohistochemical (IHC) staining with lanthanide-labeled antibodies.
A Look at Electron Pulse Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy: An Interview with Molly Lockart and Brad Pierce
Will Wetzel
Recently, Molly Lockart, a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Samford University in Homewood, Alabama, and Brad Pierce, a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Alabama, collaborated on a study that investigated the mechanism of 3-mercaptopropionate dioxygenase (MDO), an enzyme that plays a role in the oxidation of thiol-bearing compounds. This substance contains the serine (S), histidine (H), and tyrosine (Y) (SHY-motif), a specific sequence of active site residues that interact with the iron site in the enzyme. Using pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, the researchers tested different computation models of the MDO iron site, which were coordinated with both substrate and nitric oxide (NO).
