New products and seminar reportdownloads.hindawi.com/journals/jamc/1992/392519.pdf · Newproductsandseminarreport affordable, considering the lower local manpower costs. Also high-

Journal of Automatic Chemistry, Vol. 14, No. 4 (July-August 1992), pp. 151-156

New products and seminar report

LIMS

Hewlett-Packard’s new laboratoryinformation management softwaresystem, HP ChemLMS, operatesunder standard laboratory procedurelanguage. Running on the UNIX-compatible HP-UX operatingsystem under X-Windows, it is basedon the industry-standard Oraclerelational database managementsystem. HP ChemLMS is intendedfor use in laboratories requiring acustom laboratory managementsystem with true client/server capa-bility that complies with regulatorystandards.

HP ChemLMS is a highly flexible,language-based customization tool-kit that can be tailored precisely tolaboratory needs. Applicationsinclude research and development,quality control and assurance andgeneral analysis in the chemical,pharmaceutical and consumer goodsindustries.

HP ChemLMS is the only laboratorymanagement system that performslab procedure revision and versioncontrol within the database andincludes full audit-trail security. Theaudit-trail functions are integratedthroughout the software and coverlab procedures as well as .the data.With HP ChemLMS, lab manage-ment capability is extended toinclude the process by which data iscollected. In addition, there is an

option for automatic tracking andreporting of instrument maintenanceand calibration records. Thesefeatures help laboratories to meetregulatory requirements includingGood Laboratory practice (GLP)and Good Manufacturing Practice(GMP).

HP ChemLMS incorporates an easy-to-use procedure specification lan-guage modelled on the languagechemists use to write laboratoryoperating procedures. This allowsHP ChemLMS to be customized bysystem integrators, HP applicationengineers or users to reflect exactly

specific laboratory methods of work-ing. As needs change, the softwarecan easily be modified: chemistsinteract with the system just as theydo with written laboratory pro-cedures. Entering and viewing lab-oratory data is simple and flexible.Using the ’point-and-click’ methodwith a mouse on multiple X-Windows viewing panels, users canview and enter data from variouslaboratory and corporate systems ona single terminal screen.

HP ChemLMS conforms to industrystandards to provide customers witha stable laboratory managementplatform and easy access to a widevariety of other software packagesfrom a variety of vendors.

Enquiries to Verena Haller, Hewlett-Packard SA, 150 route du Nant-d’Avril,CH 1217 Meyrin (GE) 2, Switzerland.

Elemental Analysers

Carlo Erba Instruments, part of theOrganic Division of Fisons Instru-ments, has recently introduced a newgeneration of organic elemental ana-lysers: the EA 1108 and the NA 1500Series 2. Both systems analyse solidand liquid samples in organic andinorganic materials. They can simul-taneously determine concentrationsfrom 100 ppm to 100%. The systemsdo not require special operator inter-vention after sample weighing. Auto-samplers are available (up to 196unattended analyses) for solids andliquids, direct liquid injection, andgases.

The operating principle offlash com-bustion followed by gas chromato-graphic separation and detectionallows the instruments to be directlycoupled to other detectors, such as anElectron Capture Detector, for tracesulphur analysis, or a mass spec-trometer for isotopic ratiosdetermination.

The NA 1500 Series 2 gives fast,accurate simultaneous determinationof nitrogen, carbon and sulphur. Thesystem is available in three analytical

configurations- nitrogen (protein),nitrogen/carbon, or nitrogen/car-bon/sulphur.

The EA 1108 determines the con-centration of four elements: carbon,hydrogen, nitrogen and sulphursimultaneously and can be switchedto direct oxygen measurement. Witha flexible design, CHN, CHNS,CHN-O, and CHNS-O versions areavailable to meet the needs of petro-chemical, pharmaceutical, andorganic chemical applications.

More information from Fisons Instru-ments, Sussex Manor. Business Park,Gatwick Road, Crawley, SussexRHIO 2Q UK.

Liquid-solid extractor

A liquid-solid analytical extractorthat uses standard Soxhlet glassware

Liquid-solid extractor,from OrganomationAssociates, which uses standard .Soxhletglassware.

151


and accommodates either Friedrichsand Allihn condensers has beenintroduced by Organomation Associ-ates, Inc. The ROT-X-TRACTModel 130 liquid-solid extractorhandles up to eight standard 125,250, or 500 ml Soxhlet glasswareunits and either Friedrichs or Allihncondensers in a circular arrange-ment. Featuring a stainless-steel bathand a condenser water flowmeter, theunit is equipped with a thermostatthat can hold bath water temperatureto within +2 C.

Providing complete access to allglassware from the front, the glass-.ware units on Organomation’s ROT-X-TRACT Model 130 are connectedto a circular parallel water manifoldmounted on a centre tube. Requiringonly 356 mm bench space, it has anoverall height of 813 mm. Optionsinclude an intrinsically safe steambath or hot plates for boiling hightemperature solvents.

Organomation’s ROT-X-TRACTModel 130 is priced according to userglassware and condenserrequirements.

More information from OrganomationAssociates, Inc., Andrew McNiven,Marketing, 266 River Road West, Berlin,MA 01503-1699, USA. Tel.: 508 8387300; fax: 508 838 2786.

Seminar report

Automatic Data Acquisition. Held on 26and 27 March 1992 in Nairobi, Kenya

A two-day seminar on AutomaticData Acquisition was held inNairobi, Kenya, organized by a localelectronic engineering company. The.seminar was fully sponsored byUnited States Agency for Inter-national development (US-AID);and number of participants waslimited to 25.

The participants were mainly fromnational and international biomedi-cal research institutions based inKenya; a major multinationalengaged in the agro-industry alsosent delegates from, for example, thefactory maintenance, productionsupport and quality-control div-isions. Professionals from a variety ofdisciplines attended, for example, the

The new S140 Magnetic Stirrer incubator is a bench-top incubator which incorporates a in-built magnetic stirrer. The SI 40’s six-place biological magnetic stirrer will accommodatevessels up to 280 mm in height, including culture flasks, and stir them at any .set speedbetween .10 and 100 rpm. An important feature of the stirrer is electronic feedback speedcontrol. This ensures a soft start to stirring, and also accurately maintains the set speed, evenwith changes in liquid viscosity. Details from Stuart Scientific, Holmethorpe Avenue,Holmethorpe Industrial Estate, Redhill, Surrey RH1 2NB, UK.

group included a chemist, biometri-cian, soil scientist, and medicinalchemist.

On the first day of the seminar, theopening subject was on concepts andapplications of data acquisition. Apresentation on how to interfaceinstruments to computers followed.The analysis and management ofdata was then discussed and the dayended with discussions reviewing theday’s presentations and an introduc-tion on the analysis of a user’srequirement in specifying a dataacquisition system.

The second day started with twopresentations- on design method-ologies and implementation strat-egies. The afternoon was devoted todiscussions on problems or potential

areas of applications as envisaged bythe participants. The seminar wasconcluded with a review of the twodays and the award of certificates toparticipants.

Demonstrations available included ablood analyser/sampler and variouscommerical laboratory automationsoftware.

The commonality of data acqui-sitions systems on a variety of appli-cations became apparent during dis-cussions. The question of cost-effectiveness, especially in the ThirdWorld where hardware and software,if available, can be prohibitinglyexpensive, was always in the mind ofthe participants throughout the dis-cussions. The presenters mentionedthat ’home-made’ software may be

152


affordable, considering the lowerlocal manpower costs. Also high-lighted was the fact that some inter-face equipment could be designedand produced locally, with theadvantages of reduced costs a majorattraction, but also the close prox-imity of the designer to the user,enabling a better understanding andfulfillment of the design and user

requirements. Here the ’openness’ ofPC-based systems was emphasised.

The feedback from participants sug-gested that more such seminarswould be helpful, especially in raisingthe awareness of not just the solu-tions, but oflocal personnel to designand implement the solutions.

Further details are available from DrJ. S. O. Odonde, PO Box 54, 4542 79Hoek, The Netherlands.

Water information on CD-ROM

Microinfo has announced two furtherdatabase services on CD-ROM.

Aqualine is produced by Britain’sWater Research Centre and is pub-lished on CD-ROM by CompactCambridge, under licence from Per-gamon Press. Waterlit, also pub-lished on CD-ROM by CompactCambridge, is a product of the SouthAfrican Water Information Centre.The Water Reseach Centre, whichcompiles and indexes the Aqualinedatabase, provides technical leader-ship in support of water policies andundertakings around the world.Information contained in Aqualinecorresponds in part to AqualineAbstracts.

Aqualine provides more than 30years of references to the world’sliterature in water-related studies.Encompassing over 138 000 citationsand abstracts, topics covered includewater resources and supplies; waterquality; chemical analysis and moni-toring ofwater and wastes; water andwaste-water treatment; undergroundservices and water use; sewage;industrial effluents; effects of pollu-tion; instrumentation control andcomputing and appropriatetechnology.

Personnel at the South African WaterInformation Centre scan 500 jour-

nals from around the world to selectspecific information for Waterlit.Approximately 12 000 records areadded to the database each year.Waterlit adds a valuable dimensionto studies of aquatic resources thatwill prove indispensable for anyoneinvolved in the science and techno-logy of water, waste-water andsanitation.

Waterlit contains over 185 000citations and abstracts to the world’sliterature on water, waste-water andsanitation. Covering 1975 to thepresent, the database provides infor-mation on subjects ranging fromdistribution to drought evaluation;from leak detection to legal issues.

Aqualine offers 18 searchable fields.These include author, title, journalname, subject terms, type of publica-tion and major subject area. Twoindexes allow multiple fields to besearched simultaneously. Waterlitoffers 22 searchable fields- theseinclude author, title, source, publica-tion year, conference, subject head-ing, classification and descriptor.Two indexes allow simultaneoussearching of multiple fields.

ForJhrther information including details ofcurrent subscription rates please contactCD-ROM Division, Microinfo Ltd, POBox 3, Omega Park, Alton, HampshireGU34 2PE, UK.

WaveTrak 2.1 softwareWaveTrak 2.1 software for theMacintosh had been designed forscientific/technical applicationsrequiring the acquisition, storageand manipulation of digitized traces.Using previously available tools,locating a specific waveform after theevent could take as much time as theoriginal experiment. WaveTraksolves that problem by storing eachseparate digitized trace on a separatecard of a HyperCard stack. In addi-tion to the data, the card can containa time stamp, hardware parameters(system gain, temperature, samplingrate etc.) and a user-suppliedcomment to annotate a specific peakor region of the trace. These anno-tations can be searched, allowingvirtually instant retrieval of a specificpiece of information.

Each card can contain up to 30 000data points. The number ofcards in astack is limited only by the availabledisk storage space. Waves are dis-played at screen resolution, and a

unique zoom feature allows full30 000 point resolution for selectedregions of interest.

Once data is recorded into a stack itcan be duplicated and distributed forviewing or analysis using only thebasic HyperCard 2.0 program,making the program ideal for teach-ing or student use. Traces may beexported in TEXT, PICT or IGORformat.

In addition to coveniently eliminat-ing the need to clutter up a hard diskwith hundreds of separate files andfolders, WaveTrak provides a libraryof buttons that allow the user tocustomize mathematical or displayroutines for a particular application.Standard buttons include routinesfor FFT, DV/DT, pulse generation,and many more. WaveTrak supportsuse of the DACS on the MacADIOSboard, as well as the digital I/O lines,for easy construction of input/outputprotocols. HyperCard-conversantusers can also create their ownbuttons, menus and cards usingHyperTalk scripts. More experi-enced users can create highly special-ized custom functions by writingtheir own XCMDs or XFNDs inPascal, C, or assembly language.

To acquire data, WaveTrak requiresa Macintosh II series CPU with ahard disk and at least 2 MB or RAM,math coprocessor, and the GWInstruments (Somerville, MA)MacADIOS II NuBus card. Displayand data manipulation requires onlya Macintosh computer wiht Hyper-Card 2.0.

WaveTrak is distributed by MacScienceSolutions, PO Box 205, Hopedale MA01747, USA. Tel.: 508 478 6887.

Thermogravimetry

In thermogravimetric analyses, masschanges of a sample are measured asa function of temperature or time.Exactly weighed samples are sub-jected in a furnace to specified tem-perature/time programs under strict

153


WaveTrak Demo

Trace 19 of 21 stimulus intensity= 180 V

Time: 8:47:19 PM

ll Anoxiaprotoool ’u*o,*pUn,

System Parameters

Show Waveform Info

Impedance/DC Zero

Area/Peak Detect

Area Ys. ImpedanceCompute

Plot Trace

Export...

Show Graph Card

Recall stim intensity

select >

WaveTrak Demo 2.0.dev(Acqui re traces without storing them on cards; use to edj ust instruments)

CALIBRATION WINDOWSystemParameters

Find Hax Stim

Compute Area

Detect Peaks

Train

Impedance/DC level

Stimulus Intensity

(Free Run) ( Single ) i} O’]Volts@

WaveTrak 2.1 softwarefor the Macintosh is intendedfor acquiring large numbers ofdigitalwaveforms and storing them forfuture reference.

temperature control. Mass changesduring the analysis are continuouslyrecorded by a microbalance. Ther-mogravimetic analyses represent a

simple way to obtain information onthe nature, composition and thermalstability ofsubstances and for investi-gating reaction kinetics.

The microbalance installed in thenew MT5-TG/TG50 Measuring Cellmirrors the ergonomic design of theMettler analytical balances ofthe ATseries. This is the first time that acontinuous weighing range of 5000

mg has been achieved. The balance isself-calibrating, thereby assuringdependability over the entire weigh-ing range. Rugged construction andoverload protection make the op-eration straightforward. Data inter-faces built in as standard allow theweighing cell to communicate withother devices in a LIMS. A multi-functional LCD offers comprehen-sive information on all aspects of theconfiguration and operation. Thetime-tested DeltaTrac providesinformation in analogue form on theavailable weighing range. During

periods of inactivity, the micro-balance can be employed withoutrestrictions as a stand alone micro-balance, for example for weighing.s ofDSC samples.

Details from Mettler-Toledo A G, CH8606 Greifensee, Switzerland. Tel." O1944 221.

Graphite furnace

GBC Scientific Equipment’sSYS3000 graphite furnace systemis a fully automatic, multi-elementinstrument. The SYS3000 accomo-dates an eight-lamp turret and anautomatic samples changer and isable to determine up to 12 elementsin a batch of samples without opera-tor intervention. Samples whichexceed the dynamic range of thecalibration curve are automaticallydiluted until they can be accuratelyanalysed.

The system is controlled by an IBM.AT Compatible or Personal System/2 Model 50 Computer with highresolution, colour graphics and harddisk storage of operating parametersand results. The hard disk alsoenables storage of the signal graphicstraces for all samples in a multi-element run. The operator can thenview the signal, background or tem-

perature profile for any sample andzoom in if necessary.

Details from Orry Dugdale, GBC Scien-

tifi Equipment (UK) Ltd, 13 FrederickSanger Road, The Surrey Research Park,Guildford, Surrey GU2 5YD, UK. Tel.:0483 304988; fax: 0483 303071.

FIA system

The Lambda FIA System from Per-kin-Elmer consists of the FIAS 200high-performance flow-injectionsystem for atomic spectroscopy withtwo separately programmablepumps, the AS 90 autosampler withseparate trays for up to 152 samplesand the Lambda 2 UV/VIS scanningspectrometer. Included in the systemis a detailed cookbook, outlininganalytical protocols for the determi-nation ofimportant anions and.otheranalytical parameters. The Lambda2 serves as the FIA detector and canalso be used as a conventional UV/Vis spectrometer. It has a wave-

154


length range from 190 to 1100 nmand is fully PC-controlled, using thespecialized PEFIA software packagewith 26 preprogrammed methods forflow injection analysis with theLambda FIA System.

The system should be of particularinterest to scientists involved inenvironmental, drinking- and waste-water, pharmaceutical and foodanalyses.

For further information, contact Perkin-Elmer Limited, Post Office Lane, Beacons-field, Buckinghamshire HP9 1QA, UK.Tel.: 0494 676161; fax: 0494 679061.

’Hot words’, accessed with themouse, provide on-screen definitionsofimportant chromatographic terms.

Details from Autoscribe Ltd, PO Box 5,Riseley, Reading RG7 1YL, UK. Tel.:0734 883125; fax: 0734 885604.

Scientific software

Europa Scientific Software Corpor-ation (es2c) serves the specializedsoftware needs of the scientificresearch community in North Am-erica and Europe. es2c has a newcatologue, which offers scientists aunique selection of over 200 special-ized software packages for the IBMPC (or compatibles) and the Mac-intosh from more than 60 differentscientific software developers. Theproducts featured in the esc cata-logue include specialized drawing

tools for chemists and chemical en-gineers, presentation graphics forslides and posters, sophisticatedmolecular modelling, mathematicalmodelling, statistics and data analy-sis, scientific graphing and plotting,bibliography management, andtranslation software. The specializedscientific programs are augmentedby commonly used programs for thePC and Macintosh, such as Lotus 1-2-3, Cricket Graph, Microsoft Wordand Excel etc.

More informationfrom Europa at PO Box1114, Hollis, NH 03049, USA. Tel.: andfax: 60 465 2811.

Super fluid extractor

Hewlett-Packard has announced anenhancement to its succesful super-critical fluid extractor (SFE), the HP

The CAMAG TLC Plate Heater III isdesignedfor heating a TLCplate to a giventemperature after a derivatization reagenthas been applied. The temperature isuniformly maintained over the entire area.The TLC Plate Heater III has a CERANceramic hotplate and is easily cleaned. The200 x 200 mm heating area has a grid to

facilitate correct positioning of the TLCplate; the temperature range is 25-200 C.Detailsfrom CAMAG, Sonnenmattstrasse11, CH 4132 Muttenz, Switzerland.

HPLC training software

Method Development in High PerformanceLiquid Chromatography is a comprehen-sive, animated training programmedesigned to operate with MicrosoftWindows. The programme dealswith the selection of columns anddetectors, sample preparation, eluentsurvey, separation optimisation,qualitative and quantitative analysisand preparative methods. The inter-active programme has actionsequences in full colour and includesquizzes for on-screen self testing.

The Mettler DL12 is intendedfor routine analyses with high demands on accuracy; theDL12 is especially suitable for pH titrations and is moderately priced. Operation of theDL12 is simple and userfriendly. The sample size is automatically taken into account in thecalculation of the results. A newfeature is the possibility to obtain the result with inputtedconstants or with a preprogrammed code (19 variations) in the desired mass unit. Thetitration routine is started at a keystroke. The simple method concept assures a high degree ofreproducibility of the results. Details from Mettler-Toledo A G, CH 8606 Greifensee,Switzerland.

155


7680A, which was introduced to theanalytical market two years ago.

The HP 7680T, designed to simplifythe preparation of solid and semi-solid samples in the chemical, phar-maceutical, environmental, food andflavour industries, provides totallyautomated sample preparation fromsample loading through to sampledelivery. A series of eight samplescan be run automatically. Thesystem’s single controlling personalcomputer can run two SFE units,allowing up to 16 samples to beextracted automatically. Eachsample can be run under differentconditions for automated methoddevelopment; or under the samemethod for high throughput.

The HP 7680T SFE is a graphics-driven device that operates on apersonal computer-based PHChemStation. The HP ChemStationalso serves as an all-purpose, multi-tasking laboratory computer forword processing, spreadsheets, datamanagement and chromatographydata handling.

Enquiries to Verena Haller, Hewlett-Packard SA, 150 Route de Nant-d’Avril,CH-1217 Meyrin (GE) 2, Switzerland.Tel.: 41 22 780 8227.

Deconvolution application

Galactic has introduced an advancedcurve deconvolution applicationbased on the Levenburg-Marquardtnon-linear least squares minimiza-tion algorithm. The application runsunder Galactic’s Windows-based

software, GRAMS/386, and isdesigned to deconvolve and separateoverlapped peaks. GRAMS Curvefitcan fit Gaussian, Lorentzian, MixedGaussian plus Lorentzian, PearsonVII, Voight, and Log Normal peaks,and it will fit baselines from simpleoffset to cubic polynomials. Fittedpeak types can be mixed, positive ornegative, and the number of fittedpeaks is virtually unlimited. Theprocessing power of GRAMS’ opti-mized 32 bit application instructions.gives GRAMS curvefit extraordinaryspeed. The fit interations are com-plete with unmatched efficiency, andcan be performed continuously orone step at a time to monitor theprogress of the fit.

Initial peak parameters can be seteither manually or automatically.Once the fit is complete, data can beviewed singly, with the base-line,with the residual, and it can beoverlaid. Full statistical informationincluding standard errors of the par-ameters, standard errors of the fit,and peak areas are provided. Thisinformation and actual fitted datacan be easily output to hardcopy orpasted into other applications.

For additional information contact KellyW. Mclntire, Galactic Industries Corpor-ation, 395 Main Street, Salem, NH 03079,USA. Tel.: 603 898 7600; fax: 603 8986228.

Syringeless filters

Whatman Scientific’s syringelessfilters have been designed to simplifythe preparation of small volume

samples and can be used in auto-mated techniques. Three types ofdevice are available, each with achoice of filter media.

Autovial contains a 25 mm diameterfilter unit in a specially designedbarrel housing. Samples are placed inthe graduated barrel (12ml ca-pacity) and filtered directly bydepressing the self-sealing plunger.

Uniprep and Cliniprep operate bymeans of a hollow plunger whichincorporates the filtration medium inits base. Samples are placed in thedevice’s outer tube and filtered bymeans of inserting the hollowplunger. This action creates a vial ofsample which can be removed,capped and used directly in furtheranalytical procedures.

Uniprep is available with a choice ofmedia for general laboratory appli-cations: PVDF, PTFE, Nylon 66 andglass microfibre in 0-2 and 0-45 Bmpore sizes.

The Cliniprep range offers a choice ofoptimized combinations of filtermedia. CliniPrep-BAC is for stoolsamples, CliniPrep-GEN for generalclinical samples, CliniPrep-STD formucous and CliniPrep-REN is forfine filtration ofurine or serum speci-mens, especially useful for testing fordrugs of abuse.

Forfurther information contact WhatmanScientific Ltd, Whatman House, St.Leonard’s Road, 20/20 Maidstone, KentME16 OLS, UK. Tel.: 0622 676670;fax: 0622 677011.

156

Submit your manuscripts athttp://www.hindawi.com

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttp://www.hindawi.com Volume 2014

Inorganic ChemistryInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporation http://www.hindawi.com Volume 2014

International Journal ofPhotoenergy


Carbohydrate Chemistry

International Journal of


Journal of

Chemistry


Advances in

Physical Chemistry

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttp://www.hindawi.com

Analytical Methods in Chemistry

Journal of

Volume 2014

Bioinorganic Chemistry and ApplicationsHindawi Publishing Corporationhttp://www.hindawi.com Volume 2014

SpectroscopyInternational Journal of


The Scientific World JournalHindawi Publishing Corporation http://www.hindawi.com Volume 2014

Medicinal ChemistryInternational Journal of


Chromatography Research International


Applied ChemistryJournal of



Theoretical ChemistryJournal of


Journal of

Spectroscopy

Analytical ChemistryInternational Journal of


Journal of


Quantum Chemistry


Organic Chemistry International

ElectrochemistryInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporation http://www.hindawi.com Volume 2014


CatalystsJournal of

Documents

New products and seminar reportdownloads.hindawi.com/journals/jamc/1992/392519.pdf · Newproductsandseminarreport affordable, considering the lower local manpower costs. Also high-