Application Finder

Forensics testing of samples encountered by law enforcement and customs agents is based on analytical techniques that are now being miniaturized and simplified and are making their way into field instrumentation. Field testing with Raman spectroscopy allows users to conduct reliable measurements at the point of arrest, reducing the burden on crime labs and accelerating the prosecution process.

Cellulose is a common naturally-derived raw excipient found in the majority of pharmaceutical products. Raw material testing is required to ensure that consumers are receiving quality cellulose and its derivatives. The NanoRam®-1064 is an asset for pharmaceutical identity testing, minimizing fluorescence generated by typical handheld Raman systems with 785 nm lasers. As such, the NanoRam®-1064 is used here to identify cellulose derivatives that would normally fluoresce with a 785 nm laser.

The two potentiometric titration methods described here allow the determination of the content of commercial betaine solutions. Neither method is suitable for determining the betaine content of formulations. The possibilities and limits of both methods are described and distinctive features and possible sources of interference are mentioned. The Bulletin explains the most important theoretical principles and is intended to help users to develop their own product-specific titration methods.

In this application note, Karl Fischer titration is used to determine water content in sodium acetate trihydrate. The MATi 10 allows this determination to be automated, saving users time in the laboratory.

Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is able to determine the intrinsic viscosity of rPET in less than one minute without any sample preparation. This Application Note demonstrates that the Metrohm DS2500 Solid Analyzer operating in the visible and near-infrared spectral region (Vis-NIR) offers users an easier way to perform this analysis without the use of toxic chemicals.

Thermal power plants require enormous amounts of water, using high purity steam at high pressure to rotate turbines. A separate cooling water circuit is implemented, which helps to form a vacuum when the steam condenses after the turbines. Maintaining this vacuum with optimal condensation parameters is critical for the power plant efficiency. The copper condensers are susceptible to corrosion by ammonia, leading to an upper limit of 2 mg/L NH3 set by EPRI in cooling water. Small cracks in the condenser combined with the large pressure differential between the steam circuit and the cooling water circuit will contaminate the high purity water in the boiler, causing major problems and necessitating a shutdown for plant maintenance. Monitoring NH3 online in cooling water with a process analyzer can signal early problems in a plant before significant intermediation is necessary.

Material verification models with complex algorithms such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA), quasi-infinite parameters, and preprocessing options can be incredibly complex. Each model must be rigorously built, evaluated, and validated before it can be put into routine use. Mira P simplifies material verification for all. With a short, defined user workflow, straightforward results, and a foolproof Operating Procedure-based design, Mira P is already one of the simplest RMID tools available. ModelExpert, in Mira Cal P, does a chemometrician’s work. ModelExpert automatically determines the best model parameters for robust method development. With Mira P and ModelExpert, even non-technical users can achieve better results in a fraction of the time.

Acid copper baths are mainly used for the copper deposition on semiconductor wafers. Small amounts of chloride increase the speed of deposition and reduce anode polarization. However, higher concentrations are undesired, as this will decrease the quality of the copper deposition. Therefore, it is quite important to monitor the amount of chloride to have an effective, yet high-quality copper deposition process.In this Application Note, a fully automated solution based on titration is presented. In comparison to ion chromatography, titration offers the benefit that no dilution of the sample is necessary, and the hardware is comparatively low-priced. Furthermore, the fully automated solution allows users to minimize handling errors, to reduce workloads, and to guarantee outstanding reproducibility.

Lithium iron phosphate batteries offer users safety and durability. Polarographic speciation evaluates Fe(II) and Fe(III) in cathode material, useful for several tests.

Analytical Instrument Qualification (AIQ) according to the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) ensures that instruments perform as intended and users may have confidence in data quality. As the Pharma industry adopts handheld Raman instruments for incoming materials identification and verification, producers of such systems must provide suitable calibration and validation routines. Upon completion of these tests, end users are assured that all measurements are in accordance with agreed standards at Metrohm Raman, we have sophisticated AIQ routines in place to confirm the quality of your results.

High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Ion Chromatography (IC) are commonly used in the pharma, food, and environmental sectors to analyze samples for specific components and to verify compliance with norms and standards. However, users of HPLC may run into the limitations of this technique, e.g., when analyzing standard anions or certain pharmaceutical impurities. This white paper outlines how such challenges can be overcome with IC.

The Metrohm 858 Professional Sample Processor is a robotic liquid handling system capable of handling large series of samples automatically. This instrument provides a platform that can be directly controlled by the NOVA software and combined with the Autolab potentiostat/galvanostat for automated high-throughput electrochemical measurements.

Besides the typical sugar components, orange juice contains inositol. This sugar alcohol serves as an important signaling and messenger molecule. This Application Note shows the determination of inositol besides glucose, fructose, and sucrose in orange juice on a Metrosep Carb 2 - 150/4.0 column with pulsed amperometric detection (PAD).

This Application Bulletins describes the determination of nicotinamide (vitamin PP), a vitamin of the B series. Instructions for the determination in solutions (e.g. fruit juice), vitamin capsules and multivitamin tablets are given. The linearity range of the determination is also specified. The limit of detection is approximately 50 μg/L nicotinamide.

This White Paper compares automated Inline Ultrafiltration and Inline Dialysis to the traditional Carrez clarification procedure for the analysis of milk samples by ion chromatography (IC). A continuous test series over approximately six months proved Inline Dialysis to be a reliable and valuable alternative to treat dairy products prior to IC analysis.

This Application Bulletin describes the polarographic determination of folic acid, a vitamin of the B series, also known as vitamin B9 or vitamin BC. Instructions for the determination in solutions (e.g. fruit juice), vitamin capsules and multivitamin tablets are given. The linear range of the determination is also specified. The limit of detection is approx. 75 µg/L folic acid.

Brad Meadows is Vice President and Lab Director at the US company BSK Labs, which runs a number of environmental laboratories and service centers. Brad is an analytical chemist and has been working in the management of analysis laboratories for 15 years. He shared his experiences with Metrohm ion chromatography with us in the form of some concrete facts and figures.

Compounded injections of sodium bicarbonate are sterile solutions for correcting metabolic acidosis and other conditions requiring systemic alkalinization. Compounded injections of sodium phosphates serve as a phosphate source to either prevent or correct hypophosphatemia in patients with restricted oral intake. Ion chromatography (IC) with suppressed conductivity detection is the standardized way to accurately quantify sodium in these solutions.

Presence of thallium in surface water is an indicator of industrial effluents and poses a serious health hazard if imbibed. Monitoring of thallium concentration can easily be done with anodic stripping voltammetry on the silver film modified scTRACE Gold. This non-toxic method allows the determination of thallium concentrations between 10–250 µg/L and can be carried out with the 946 Portable VA Analyzer.

Inline Ultrafiltration is a proven sample preparation technique for samples that are slightly or massively contaminated with particles, algae or bacteria. Filtration and injection are coupled and fully automatic. As a rule, 100 or more samples can be filtered through a single membrane. Service life is extended – even with highly contaminated tannery effluent – to more than 300 injections because the filter membrane is rinsed again once more after the analysis with the aid of the Dosino backflush.

PVC (polyvinyl chloride) foils with a PVDC (polyvinylidene chloride) coating are often used for high performance packaging films like pharmaceutical blister packs or in food packaging. In multi-layer blister films, the PVC serves as the thermoformable backbone structure, whereas the PVDC coating acts as a barrier against moisture and oxygen. The Water Vapor Transmission Rate (WVTR) and Oxygen Transmission Rate (OTR) are influenced by the composition and the thickness of the coating. A fast way to monitor PVDC coating thickness is with near-infrared spectroscopy. Results are provided in a few seconds, indicating when adjustments in the polymer production process are necessary.

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid or L-ascorbic acid, is an essential nutrient involved in the repair of tissues and the enzymatic production of certain neurotransmitters. It is required for the functioning of several enzymes and immune performance, and is also an important antioxidant. This nutrient is found in many foods and is often used as a dietary supplement.This Application Note describes the photometric determination of ascorbic acid according to the standard ISO 6557-2. To increase the objectivity on the determined equivalence point and the reproducibility of the results, an autotitrator equipped with a photometric sensor, the Optrode, is used. The titrant 2,6-Dichlorophenol-indophenol (DCIP or DPIP) simultaneously serves as titrant and indicator.

The analytical challenge treated by the present work consists in detecting sub-ppb concentrations of low-molecular-weight amines in the presence of strongly retained cationic drugs by using ion chromatography (IC) with upstream inline coupled-column matrix elimination (CCME). In contrast to direct-injection IC, where the late elution of strongly retained drugs requires eluents with added acetonitrile, the CCME technique uses two preconcentration columns in series. In an «inverse matrix elimination step, cationic drug and target amines are trapped on a high-capacity and a very-high-capacity preconcentration column, respectively. During amine determination, a rinsing solution flushes the drug to waste. This significantly shortens the analysis time and improves sensitivity as well as selectivity. Besides the determination of monomethylamine in Nebivolol hydrochloride discussed here, the CCME technique is a promising tool for detecting further low-molecular-weight amines in a wide range of drugs.

This Bulletin is a supplement to Application Bulletin no. 36 (Half-wave potentials of inorganic substances) in the sense that the half-wave potentials of 100 different organic substances are listed. At the same time the supporting electrolytes used and the limits of determination are given.The various substances are listed in alphabetical order. The most important polarographically active functional groups are taken into consideration. This means that substances for related structures can also be determined polarographically in the same or similar supporting electrolytes, although they may not appear in the list.Unless otherwise stated, the half-wave potentials refer to a temperature of 20 °C, and the potentials are given in volts, measured with a sat. KCI-Ag/AgCl electrode assembly.The determination limits give the smallest concentrations which can be measured without risking serious errors in the results. In all cases, the limit of detection lies below the limit of determination.

Fresh as well as used petroleum products may contain acidic components as additives or degradation products. The acid number (AN) is a measure for the relative amount of acids present expressed as mg KOH per g sample. Moreover, AN is used as a quality parameter of lubricating oils both for assessing the quality of new formulations and as an indicator for the degradation of such formulations during service. The use of a pH electrode suitable for non-aqueous titrations ensures the reliable determination of the equivalence point. A flexible sleeve diaphragm facilitates its cleaning especially after use in heavily contaminated samples, such as in used engine oils. Using the correct electrode greatly increases the precision and reliability of the results. This Application Note describes the potentiometric determination of the acid number according to ASTM D664 and IP 177 using the pH electrode Solvotrode easyClean.

The water content of tablets determines the release of their active ingredients as well as their chemical, physical, microbial and shelf-life properties. Accordingly, the water content is of crucial importance and has to be accurately determined. This paper describes the straightforward determination of the water content using automated volumetric Karl Fischer titration (KFT). Tedious sample preparation steps are eliminated by using a high-frequency homogenizer that additionally serves as a stirrer. Prior to titration, the homogenizer comminutes the tablets directly in the KF solution. As the comminution process takes place directly in the hermetically sealed titration vessels, interference from atmospheric humidity does not occur. Even after 24 h in the vessels, the moisture content of four different tablet type samples was within 93…108% of the initially determined values. With a coefficient of determination of 0.99993 the KF method is highly linear for water amounts between 4 and 215 mg. For all investigated tablet types, KFT provides results that lie within the range expected by the manufacturer.

Raman spectroscopy is an advantageous analytical tool that allows for the measurement of molecular structure and identifying chemical composition of materials based on the rotational and vibrational modes of a molecule. With advanced technology and an optimized optical design, the B&W Tek BAC102 series E-grade probe can access lower frequency modes down to 65 cm-1, providing key information for applications in protein characterization, polymorph detection, and identification, along with material phase and structure determination.

A measured amount of milk is treated with trichloroacetic acid to coagulate milk solids and liberate calcium and magnesium as dissociated ion. The coagulated milk is filtered or centrifuged, and an aliquot of the clear serum is titrated with a standard solution of 1 mol/L tetra-sodium EDTA to thermometrically determined endpoints for Ca and Mg. Acetylacetone is added to alter the Ca- and Mg- EDTA stability constants for better endpoint sharpness.

Diazepam belongs to the 1,4-benzodiazepine group of compounds, which are used for medical purposes as tranquilizers and antidepressants. This Bulletin describes the determination of diazepam in tablets and body fluids (blood, serum, urine) by means of differential pulse polarography. If a Britton-Robinson buffer pH = 2.8 with a methanol volume fraction of 20% is used as the supporting electrolyte then a pronounced reduction peak is obtained at -0.73 V; this allows diazepam concentrations even below 0.05 µg/mL to be determined in blood. The necessary sample preparation steps are also dealt with in this Bulletin.

Botanicals are derived from plant materials and used for their medicinal and therapeutic properties in the nutraceuticals market. They are not as heavily regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) like the pharmaceuticals drug market, but they are required to follow Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP Requirements).The NanoRam®-1064 is an asset for pharmaceutical identity testing, minimizing fluorescence generated by typical handheld Raman systems with 785 nm lasers. As such, the NanoRam®-1064 is used here to identify botanicals that would normally fluoresce with a 785 nm laser.

Polypropylene and polyethylene can pose recycling challenges. With near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), users receive polyolefin composition results in seconds.

Modern recreational use of DMT (N,N-Dimethyltryptamine) is growing and although it is legally protected in some countries, new legislation attempts to reduce its abuse and associated adverse health effects. MIRA XTR DS from Metrohm Raman provides rapid and sensitive detection of DMT in the field.

This application note presents the Orbital Raster Scan (ORS) technology from Metrohm Raman to overcome low resolution, poor sensitivity, and sample degradation while still interrogating a large sample area.

With MISA and MIRA, easy-to-use test kits and flexible sampling allow rapid and accurate interrogation of suspect materials with minimal time, training, and expense.

Portable Raman is used to quantify trigonelline, an alkaloid that contributes to the health benefits of some foods. A simple method to quantify the presence of diluted trigonelline in solutions using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy is described. Portable Raman is a tool that could be used in quality control of food items such as coffee and quinoa.

Paraquat is a highly effective, yet exceptionally toxic herbicide used to manage weeds in agricultural operations. In recognition of paraquat’s danger, the EU and several other countries have banned its use for any application, though the US EPA permits its limited use by licensed applicators. Despite tight regulation, paraquat continues to be produced and is liberally used as an herbicide in over 100 countries without regulatory oversight.Testing for paraquat typically requires involved sample processing and analysis by trained chemists using expensive laboratory instruments such as HPLC, CE, and LC/MS. Misa achieves trace level detection of paraquat residue in tea leaves in a fully integrated, portable, smart system for easy on-site testing by non-technicians.

This Application Note presents a walkthrough of an experiment on 4-nitrothiophenol using hyphenated EC-Raman, a combination of Raman spectroscopy and electrochemistry.

This Application Note compares SPELEC RAMAN and a standard Raman instrument by analyzing their performance in measuring single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT).

This Application Note describes the conductometric determination of the total base number in engine oil according to IP 400.

This Application Note explains how to scale MIRA P usage across an entire manufacturing operation by transferring models between different MIRA P instruments.

Enhance quality control in material and chemical production with NIRS. Fast, cost-effective, and no sample prep needed. Learn more in our eBook.

This application shows how to seamlessly transition from Metrohm’s NanoRam 785 to the newer MIRA P system, ensuring continuity in raw material identification (RMID).

Boric acid is growing in demand for various industrial applications, but requires a more cost-efficient and environmentally friendly production process. This Application Note describes the performance of a Raman process analyzer (PTRam) when measuring low-concentration boric acid and sodium sulfate solutions (<100 mg/L) during boric acid production.

Advances in polymeric membranes and screen-printed technologies have enabled miniaturized, portable potentiometric sensors ideal for point-of-care analysis.

See through Raman Spectroscopy (STRaman®) is a newly developed technology that expands the capability of Raman spectroscopy to measure samples beneath diffusely scattering packaging material. The STRaman technology features a much larger sampling area than the confocal approach. This design enhances the relative intensity of the signal from the deeper layers, thereby increasing the effective sampling depth, allowing the measurement of material inside visually opaque containers. The larger sampling area has the additional advantage of preventing sample damage by reducing the power density, as well as improving measurement accuracy by eliminating heterogeneous effect.

The TacticID®-1064 ST is a 1064 nm handheld Raman system designed for law enforcement officials, first responders, and customs and border protection officers for rapid field identification of illicit substances such as narcotics, explosives, and other suspicious materials.The TacticID-1064 ST is specially designed with see-through Raman functionality to measure materials through both transparent and opaque containers. These through-barrier measurements remove the need for active sampling of potentially dangerous compounds such as fentanyl, leading to safer operations and reduced wait time for clear results.

This document describes the recommended equipment and installation of a ProfIC Vario 6 Anion system with a combination of Inline Dilution and Inline Ultrafiltration.

Learn how to install a ProfIC Vario 6 Cation system for non-suppressed cation or anion determination with Inline Dilution and Inline Ultrafiltration in this document.

This document describes the recommended equipment and installation of a ProfIC Vario 6 AnCat system with a combination of Inline Dilution and Inline Ultrafiltration.

This document describes the recommended equipment and installation of a Professional IC Vario system with combined MISP techniques of Inline Dilution and Inline Dialysis.