Pittcon Editors Choice features tie, surprise winners; NorSci takes Bronze

Uncategorized March 25, 2011

(Atlanta) - Votes were tallied at the 2011 Pittcon show, held last week in Atlanta, and the top choice for gold resulted in a tie. The True Surface Microscopy spectrometer from WITec GmbH tied with LECO Corp.’sCitius LC/MS for top honors, while Norton Scientific representing AstraGene, received the Bronze, topping many other showcased products.

LECO’s Folded Flight Path and Kinetic Algorithmic Data Acquisition System technologies were employed to give their high-performance LC-TOF mass spectrometer one of the highest resolving capabilities and acquisition rates among MS instrument to date. The Citius LC-HRT provides full-range mass spectra at speeds of over 100 spectra per second, and resolutions of up to 100,000 with high-performance mass accuracy. ESI, APCI, and DESI ionization sources are also available as options to complement the instrument’s MS capabilities. LECO has designed this instrument to appeal to the metabolomics market.
 
In 2008, the alpha 500 from WITec won an R&D 100 Award as the first instrument to blend the chemical 3-D imaging capability of confocal Raman microscopy with the structural surface analytical ability of atomic force microscopy (AFM) in an automated system for large samples. In 2010, WITec added a new capability to their existing system. True Surface Microscopy follows the surface topography with high precision, so that even rough or inclined samples always stay in focus while performing confocal Raman imaging. To achieve this capability, the WITec alpha500 series integrates a highly precise sensor for optical profilometry. The topographic coordinates from the profilometer measurement are used to perfectly follow the sample surface in confocal Raman imaging mode. The result is an image revealing optical or chemical properties at the surface of the sample, even if this surface is very rough or heavily inclined. Previously, characterization of these properties could only be partially successful, and often involved extensive surface preparation. 
 
The Samplicity from EMD Millipore lets users filter samples of various viscosities using a semi-automated approach that alleviates what normally is a tedious sample preparation procedure easier. Using Millex Samplicity membrane filters, Samplicity offers higher throughput with simultaneous vacuum filtration of up to eight samples, and ergonomic alternative to syringe filters, and easy sample preparation of even highly viscous or particulate-laden mixtures. The Samplicity can be used for dissolution testing, HPC, UHPLC, or LCMS.

Pittcon Editors Choice Bronze

The AstraGene UV spectrophotometer from UK-based AstraNet Systems got the bronze award for its non-destructive way of analyzing DNA, RNA and protein samples. Astra Gene’s patented sample holder enables measurements to be taken straight through the pipette tip on sample volumes as small as 2 µl. Complex sampling routines are avoided while sample integrity and user safety are maintained; samples can be recovered after measurement for further analysis or processing.

Other nominations considered by the editors included:

  • Micro ESR, Active Spectrum
  • MINI FLASH TOUCH, Ametek
  • Assure NMR software and the MAXIS 4G MS, Bruker
  • GC-Tof MS, DANI Instruments
  • CALIDUS micro GC, Falcon
  • Mini GC, Forston Labs
  • EGA/PY 3030D, Frontier Lab
  • Aqualog Absorbance/Fluorescent spectrometer, HORIBA
  • NanoPhotometer Pearl, Implen
  • Spiral Tof-Tof and InTouch Scope SEM, JEOL
  • Excellence Flash DSC 1, Mettler Toledo
  • 889IC Sample Center, Metrohm
  • Centrifan PE, Modular SFC: Perfinity Workstation, Perfinity/Shimadzu
  • Epsilon 3 EDXRF, PANalytical
  • LCMS 8030, Shimadzu
  • Niton FXL XRF, Thermo Fisher Scientific
  • Unifi software integration package, ACQUITY UPSFC and ACQUITY UPLC 2D Tech, Waters

This story was written and published on March 23, 2011 by R&D Daily.