Pittcon '98: pubs.acs.org
Sensar introduced the Series 3000 chromatograph (circle 203) for
supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC). The system was designed
for the petroleum industry to use in monitoring the quality of diesel and
jet fuel before shipment to customers.
Provo, Utah-based Product Manager W. Dale Felix told C&EN that
California now requires use of a method-ASTM D-5186-that specifies
SFC in analyses of the aromatic contents of diesel and jet fuels. He
added that the method is being considered by other states and by
regulatory agencies and that the Series 3000 meets the method's
requirements.
The Series 3000, listed at $40,000, consists of an oven module with
injection system, a flame-ionization detector, and a pumping system.
Options include a $5,000 data-collection package and a $7,000
autosampler.
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The explosion of mass spectrometric detectors for LC continues, as is
evident from the bewildering array of offerings at Pittcon '98. And
time-of-flight (TOF) was the buzz.
TOF detector technology has several advantages, explained Lance C.
Nicolaysen, director of marketing at Micromass, Beverly, Mass.
Scanning speeds are usually 10 times faster and sensitivities are 10 to
100 times greater than with quadrupole technology. The detectors are
rugged because they have no moving parts, requiring very few
adjustments and no tuning. "Calibration is rock steady and it's just
much easier to use than quadrupole" technology, he said.
Sensar launched the Jaguar benchtop TOF MS instrument (circle
219), featuring an ESI interface. Jaguar can acquire 5,000 spectra per
second and continuously store up to 50 spectra per second. Patented
ion optics and acquisition electronics enable detection limits as low as
10 attomoles. The $147,000 list price includes data-processing
software.
Tom |
