ICP-MS – News and Features

Biopharmaceutical development is currently one of the fastest growing areas in the life sciences. With this comes an increasing need for analytical solutions able to cope with the challenges offered by biopharma samples. We spoke to Dr. Tom van de Goor from Agilent about how they are addressing these issues.

Mass spectrometry (MS) plays a vital role in many aspects of our lives, from diagnosing illness and detecting food contaminants to fighting fraud. In order for a sample to be analyzed by MS, it must however, first be ionized. There are a number of ways of achieving sample ionization depending on the sample type, target analyte and desired workflow. In this article, we consider some common ionization techniques and sample types for which they are best suited.

In this article, we take a look at the fundamentals of mass spectrometry, how it works, variations that can be used at each stage of the process and how they can be combined to suit different sample types or analytical questions.

A professor has introduced a technique for rapidly analyzing for the presence of a virus from colds to coronaviruses within 20 seconds.

Inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) is an analytical technique that is used to identify the atomic composition of a sample. In this article we will explore how the technique works, what it tells us, strengths, limitations and common problems, and how it compares to other techniques in this analytical niche.

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is a flexible chemical analysis method that can be tailored to meet the demands of a wide variety of industries.

Osmium is a rare precious metal that could be used to treat cancer with fewer side effects when compared to Platinum, which is currently used in many chemotherapies. Now researchers have found a way to track how Osmium reacts in a single cancer cell.

Chemists have developed a simple and reliable method that holds promise for transforming how ultra-trace elements are separated and detected, setting new global standards for measuring the nearly immeasurable.

There is no question that the lack of federal oversight with regard to heavy metals in medicinal cannabis products in the US has meant that it has been left to the individual states to regulate its use. However, the cannabis plant is known to be a hyper-accumulator of heavy metals in the soil and growing medium, so it’s critical to monitor levels to ensure cannabis products are safe to use.

To overcome the unique challenges associated with analyzing cannabis and hemp products, and to meet regulations, it's crucial for labs to focus on four key testing areas: the contaminants of residual pesticides and mycotoxins, heavy metals, and solvents, as well as quantifying THC/CBD potency.