Carbohydrates are the most abundant class of biomolecules. But — their analysis is not always trivial. This article describes how electrolytic and highly automated inline eluent generation can be successfully applied to carbohydrate separations using HPAEC in combination with PAD.

Remarkable recent developments in high-throughput research techniques allow scientists to collect more data than ever before. However, this presents significant challenges in terms of data storage, management and analysis. Cloud-based informatics platforms offer a potential solution, bringing together all aspects of laboratory management into a flexible and scalable system, designed to support future technologies as they become available.

Extreme weather with alternating periods of drought and heavy rainfall can negatively affect yield and quality of agricultural crops. Recent research into the impact of climate variations on the quality of tea has shown how dramatic the influence can be.

Thermo Fisher Scientific and Genovis, a provider of enzyme products for biological drug development, announced a collaborative research project. The aim of the collaboration is to develop advanced end-to-end workflows for the preparation, characterization and monitoring of novel and complex biotherapeutics using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS).

Are there differences in quality between stored and freshly prepared ultrapure water? This article presents the results for the use of ultrapure water in gel electrophoresis and provides recommendations for the production of ultrapure water.

At this year's Pittcon in Chicago Thermo Fisher Scientific presented several new instruments including a new ICP-MS system and a Raman spectrometer designed to provide simultaneous analytical data at a single measurement point. They also highlighted the first new products from their latest acquisition, electron microscopy specialist FEI.

To clarify whether and when a handgun was fired, forensic scientists search for and analyze Gunshot Residue (GSR) deposits. One highly interesting aspect of GSR is the presence of volatile organic chemical residues, which can offer clues as to when a weapon was fired. An innovative extraction technique based on Headspace Sorptive Extraction (HSSE) and Gerstel Twister has now been shown to extract additional information from spent cartridges.

Shimadzu announced the opening of its own branch office in Sweden. It is based in Stockholm, in the city district of Kista. The company is already represented in all European countries with own subsidiaries and branch offices as well as a network of distributors.

In freshwater lakes, large amounts of the greenhouse gas methane are oxidized by bacteria before it can be emitted into the atmosphere. A study in Lakes Rotsee and Zug has now shown that the bulk of this work is done, not by “classical” methane consumers, but by filamentous bacteria previously known only as contaminants of water supplies.

Evacuated space is a good place for research and manufacture. It has been a long journey though from a philosophical question in ancient times to today’s significance of the vacuum. It was Wolfgang Gaede who in the early 20th century laid the foundation for modern vacuum technology with his molecular pump.