Agilent’s New Chemical Imaging System Enhances Visual Clarity

Agilent Technologies’ new chemical imaging system, Agilent 8700 Laser Direct Infrared (LDIR), enhances visual clarity in chemical imaging. Introduced in early October 2018, the new system enhances the speed with which analysis can be done in pharmaceutical, biomedical, food, and materials science.

“This ‘walk-up’ solution provides high-definition chemical imaging more rapidly and accurately than ever, to aid in analyzing the composition of tablets, laminates, tissues, polymers, and fibers,” said Phil Binns, vice president and general manager of Agilent’s Spectroscopy division, in a company press release. “With this information, scientists can analyze more samples and in greater detail in minutes instead of hours.”

Binns noted that the new system would have a significant impact on pharmaceutical laboratories in particular. “Scientists will be able to make more informed decisions-in less time-in product formulation development and trouble-shooting,” he said in the press release.

Using the 8700 LDIR, scientists can obtain actionable information about APIs, excipients, polymorphs, salts, and defects to enable users to quickly identify and resolve issues experienced during drug development. The new system has the potential to enable labs to bring pharmaceutical products to market faster and with greater confidence in formulations, the company reports.

The system combines quantum cascade laser technology with rapid scanning optics and an intuitive software (Clarity, Agilent). The system also produces images free from laser coherence artifacts to provide high definition images of large areas. It is a compact size, does not use liquid nitrogen, and has automated operation that make high-definition chemical imaging accessible to operators of all levels. Simple load-and-go methods also save time and enable walk-up use in both commercial and academic settings.

Source: Agilent Technologies