Product Spotlight: Analytical Instrumentation

Published on: 
Pharmaceutical Technology, Pharmaceutical Technology-08-02-2013, Volume 37, Issue 8

Editor's Pick's of Pharmaceutical Science & Technology Innovations: The latest in analytical instrumentation including mass spectrometers, calorimeters, and viscometers.

Calorimeter allows rapid characterization

Mettler Toledo's OptiMax HFCal reaction calorimeter offers quick, reliable heating and cooling for laboratories working under time restrictions. The instrument's intuitive operation also allows users to run experiments faster. Electrical heating and Peltier cooling systems ensure precise temperature control from -40 to 180 °C without cryostat or ice-bath maintenance for added time savings and a smaller bench footprint. The instrument can be used to characterize process development and scale-up parameters, such as heat transfer, specific heat of reaction mass, isothermal and nonisothermal heat flow, enthalpy, and thermal conversion rates at all reaction stages. Experiment data are recorded automatically and can be summarized into tables and trend graphics with a single key press.

Mettler Toledo

www.mt.com

Quadropole mass spectrometer is designed for high-vacuum studies

Hiden Analytical's Hiden PIC series of pulse-ion counting quadrupole mass spectrometers is designed for ultra-high vacuum and extremely high vacuum (UHV/XHV) studies, such as those used to analyze surface composition or to modify surfaces (e.g., atomic layer deposition). The series uses sensitive pulse-ion counting (PIC) technology that allows detection even at high vacuum (to 5 x 10-16 mbar). Options include positive-ion or combined positive and negative-ion detection. The spectrometers incorporate triple-stage mass-filter technology for optimum mass separation, ion-transmission efficiency, and contamination resistance. Some versions of the PIC series are configured with mean-energy scanning to detect externally generated ions with energies in the range of +/-1000 eV.

Hiden Analytical

www.HidenAnalytical.com

Viscometer reveals polymer structure information

Malvern Viscotek viscometers can be used with gel permeation/size exclusion chromatography (GPC/SEC) to reveal polymer structure information by measuring viscosity parameters. This information enables researchers to modify polymer chain length and branching to meet precise goals. When used with a refractive index (concentration) detector, a viscometer gives information on molecular weight and density, which permits the determination of accurate molecular weight distributions without a relevant standard. On the other hand, if molecular weight is directly measured via a light-scattering technique, a viscometer enables the quantification of structural characteristics such a chain branching. The Viscotek viscometer can be supplied as part of an integrated triple detector Viscotek GPC/SEC system or as an addition to any existing separation system.

Malvern

www.malvern.com/viscotek

Gas-chromatography and mass spectrometry system analyzes complex mixtures

Jeol's AccuTOF GCV 4G high-resolution, time-of-flight mass-spectrometer system is offered with Zoex's comprehensive, two-dimensional gas-chromatography technology for analysis of complex mixtures. The system can be used in drug-metabolism studies to separate complex biological mixtures and identify known and uknown metabolites. The AccuTOF GCV 4G's unique capability to easily switch between electron ionization (EI) and field ionization (FI) modes combines the power of database searching in EI mode with unambiguous molecular weight information in FI mode. Unlike chemical ionization (CI), FI does not require a reagent gas, and FI mass spectra are very simple, consisting of molecular ions with little or no fragmentation. Accurate mass measurements can be carried out in either EI or FI mode or with the optional CI ion source.

Jeol

www.jeolusa.com