Certified Reference Materials for the new USP Spectroscopy Chapter

Starna Scientific has introduced a new range of Certified Reference Materials to meet the US Pharmacopeia's revised Chapter <857> guidelines for qualifying UV and Visible spectrophotometers.

Earlier this year, the US Pharmacopeia revised its guidelines for the qualification of ultraviolet and visible spectrophotometers. General Chapter <857> was published on 1^st May 2015 and becomes mandatory from 1^st May 2016.

For the first time, ultraviolet instruments must be qualified for resolution (bandwidth) in addition to absorbance and wavelength accuracy and stray light. A new stray light test is described, using a different procedure from that previously recommended by the USP.

The CRMs used to qualify absorbance, wavelength and resolution are well established, namely potassium dichromate solutions, holmium oxide solution and toluene in hexane. The stray light test introduces the "filter ratio" or Meilenz method, which involves measuring a 10 mm cell of a liquid cut-off filter against a 5 mm cell of the same solution as blank. For visible spectrophotometers, glass neutral density and holmium oxide filters may be used to test absorbance accuracy and wavelength accuracy respectively.

These reference materials are all available from Starna in convenient sets to suit all needs, from the user with one instrument to large laboratories, quality control departments and support and service organizations. In addition to convenience, these sets also offer cost savings compared to the purchase of individual references.

Contact Details :

Starna Scientific Ltd

Website: www.starna.com

E-mail: sales@starna.com