News. Academia Weighing and Analysis in the Laboratory. Coastal Water Quality Research with Micropipettes

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Franklin Curtis
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Academia Weighing and Analysis in the Laboratory 5 News Coastal Water Quality Research with Micropipettes The LERN laboratory, part of the IFREMER institute in Normandy, France, recently purchased an

Together with Calibry Calibration Software, the system fulfills the versatility and user-friendliness required by LERN to monitor the quality and activities of marine and coastal zones.

evaluate the risks to human exposure and protect consumer health and safety. To realize its mission, IFREMER must constantly improve its quality assurance system.

A total of 15 pipettes, with nominal volumes of between 100 microliters and 20 milliliters, are used in standard operating procedures for extracting seashell toxins and for seawater nutrient analyses.

1 Academia Weighing and Analysis in the Laboratory 5 News Coastal Water Quality Research with Micropipettes The LERN laboratory, part of the IFREMER institute in Normandy, France, recently purchased an XP205 Analytical Balance that converts easily into a pipette calibration station. Together with Calibry Calibration Software, the system fulfills the versatility and user-friendliness required by LERN to monitor the quality and activities of marine and coastal zones. The Mission The main undertaking of the IFREMER/ LERN (Laboratoire Environnement Ressources de Normandie) is to monitor, in near real time, the quality of coastal water and shellfish productions, evaluate the risks to human exposure and protect consumer health and safety. To realize its mission, IFREMER must constantly improve its quality assurance system. The Need for a Versatile Weighing Solution The requirements specified by Mr. F. Jacqueline, Metrologist at LERN, concern 2 main areas: pipette performance check and accurate filter weighing. A total of 15 pipettes, with nominal volumes of between 100 microliters and 20 milliliters, are used in standard operating procedures for extracting seashell toxins and for seawater nutrient analyses. If the toxin concentration exceeds a certain limit, tough decisions are made, e.g. fishing being banned to preserve consumer health. Under these high health and business impacts, pipettes must be periodically checked. For the given range of volumes, the ISO8655 norm for pipette calibration recommends a 0.01 mg resolution balance. Obviously, all pipette performance checks must be perfectly traceable. The LERN also needs accurate filter weighing for the measurement of suspended matter in water. The method consists of filtering sea water and retaining all particles larger than 0.5 µm before the filter is rinsed and dried. The filter

All-in-One Solution with Short Set-up Time The LERN invested in METTLER TOLEDO S XP205 Excellence Plus Balance, an Evaporation Trap and Calibry Pipette Calibration Software.

2 Pipette Calibration Mr. F. Jacqueline calibrates a pipette with XP205 Balance, Evaporation Trap and Calibry Software. is weighed before and after the process with the weight difference representing the total mass of dried suspended matter. For this application, a 0.01 mg resolution balance was also necessary. All-in-One Solution with Short Set-up Time The LERN invested in METTLER TOLEDO S XP205 Excellence Plus Balance, an Evaporation Trap and Calibry Pipette Calibration Software. The optional filter kit is currently under technical evaluation. After a 2-hour installation and training session, Mr. Jacqueline and his team were in the position to make full use of the balance for both applications. The weighing set-up can be converted into the pipette check set-up in less than 2 minutes. The pipette performance check is carried out on a quarterly basis and is complemented with full pipette maintenance and calibration once a year. The pipette calibration data is stored in the Calibry database and calibration certificates are printed out and kept as paper records. Mr. Jacqueline appreciates Calibry s user friendliness and the clear user guidance during pipette calibration. He added that, The built-in pipette type list and ISO pre-configuration greatly reduced the initial set-up time. The calculation of measurement uncertainty is a valuable advantage for the lab s future COFRAC accreditation. } Publisher Mettler-Toledo AG Laboratory Division Im Langacher CH-8606 Greifensee, Switzerland Production Segment Marketing LAB Switzerland Subject to technical changes. Mettler-Toledo AG 02/09 Printed in Switzerland. 2

ReactIR ReactIR in the Organic Chemistry Teaching Laboratories The establishment of ReactIR for reaction monitoring and analysis as a standard analytical industry tool means that today s students of

Preparing the Next Generation of Chemists for Real World Demands For two decades, ReactIR, a powerful tool for real-time in situ reaction monitoring and analysis, has enabled chemists to conduct

3 ReactIR ReactIR in the Organic Chemistry Teaching Laboratories The establishment of ReactIR for reaction monitoring and analysis as a standard analytical industry tool means that today s students of organic chemistry need to be taught about real-time in situ reaction analysis early on in their academic development. Preparing the Next Generation of Chemists for Real World Demands For two decades, ReactIR, a powerful tool for real-time in situ reaction monitoring and analysis, has enabled chemists to conduct insightful and efficient experiments and design robust and safe processes. Recently, the need for real-time reaction analysis has been heightened by PAT (Process Analytical Technology) and QbD (Quality by Design), US FDA initiatives, as it strives for a paradigm shift for quality assurance in pharmaceutical manufacturing. There is, however, a shortage of chemists trained to take advantage of the reaction analysis technologies that are available. Such a skill gap is, in part, due to the way chemistry students are taught. It is general teaching lab practice to have students run reactions and then only analyze the end result, omitting the capture of any information about reaction progression. Today, due to accessibility improvements, ReactIR can easily be implemented in teaching labs, allowing students to observe and analyze an entire reaction as it progresses. This will help to prepare ReactIR45m installed in an RC1e Automated lab reactor. organic chemistry students for the real world demands that they will encounter as they enter the workplace. Teach Chemistry with a Time Dimension Chemistry students have been traditionally taught without a time dimension, partially due to challenges in monitoring reaction progression. ReactIR detects and displays the concentrations and their changes of reactants and products in solution in real time. With the time dimension added to the teaching of chemical reactions, students can effectively learn about reaction dynamics, kinetics analysis, and mechanistic rationale. } Students of organic chemistry learn about the reaction analysis technologies.

ph Meter Measurement Restoring and Preserving Old Papers A Matter of ph Meter Measurement Libraries that possess collections of old paper manuscripts, prints or drawings are faced with the problem of

METTLER TOLEDO ph and conductivity meters are used at the Polish National Library in Warsaw in order to help identify endangered books so that they can be de-acidified and preserved for future

The problem affects books and manuscripts created between 1850 and 1990 in particular.

4 ph Meter Measurement Restoring and Preserving Old Papers A Matter of ph Meter Measurement Libraries that possess collections of old paper manuscripts, prints or drawings are faced with the problem of gradual deterioration of these precious documents. The main cause of the degradation process has to do with the increasing acidification of the paper used for the individual documents. METTLER TOLEDO ph and conductivity meters are used at the Polish National Library in Warsaw in order to help identify endangered books so that they can be de-acidified and preserved for future generations. Saving Paper in Danger The increasing accumulation of acids in paper as it ages activates the degradation process. This, in turn, leads to the paper s gradual decomposition. The problem affects books and manuscripts created between 1850 and 1990 in particular. ph Matters Apart from visible signs of damage, the most important factor used for assessing the state of an old document is the ph of the paper. The measured ph values allow one to decide whether or not restoration and preservation measures are necessary is regarded as an ideal value, with sufficient alkaline reserves in the paper to neutralize any future acid formation in the paper. Rescue and Preservation Programs In 2000, the Polish National Library, together with the support of the Polish Government, began a nation-wide program for the long-term rescue and preservation of the entire 19th and 20th century book collection in the state archives and in the state owned universities and national libraries (several hundred thousand books). The Warsaw National Library. Old books also suffer from the consequences of many other adverse factors. These include: unsuitable storage conditions, incorrect handling and abuse, micro organism attack and other environmental influences, such as temperature and humidity. All these factors add together to promote the slow ruin of irreplaceable documents. ph measurement on the paper surface. for a particular document. A ph that is too low indicates that the acid content of the paper is too high. If left untreated, this would lead to the gradual destruction of many irreplaceable documents. Some documents exhibit a ph of 4 5, which is clearly in the acidic range. A ph of 8 9 The process of de-acidification and preservation is very time-consuming as it must be carried out for each individual sheet of a document. Furthermore, the utmost care must be taken with such valuable items. Naturally, it will be several decades before the total inventory of books has been saved. In ph determination, it is important to obtain exact values so that the counter measures, i.e. paper de-acidification followed by preservation, can be optimized. 4

SevenMulti The METTLER TOLEDO ph and conductivity meters play an important role in preventing the further

The paper ph measurement is performed using a METTLER TOLEDO SevenEasy or SevenMulti ph Meter and an InLab

This meter still works very reliably even after many years of daily use.

5 SevenMulti The METTLER TOLEDO ph and conductivity meters play an important role in preventing the further destruction of historic documents. The paper ph measurement is performed using a METTLER TOLEDO SevenEasy or SevenMulti ph Meter and an InLab Surface electrode. An older METTLER TOLEDO meter, the MP220, is also used. This meter still works very reliably even after many years of daily use. As yet, 30 METTLER TOLEDO ph Meters, equipped with InLab Surface electrodes, are being used in the different Polish libraries and state archives. } The analytical assistant, Mrs. Olga Dudek, preparing a measurement in the laboratory. 5

Titration Simple, Automated Solution for Novel Ionic Liquids Application The process fluidics group in the chemical engineering department of the University of Sheffield, UK, researches reactivity

METTLER TOLEDO s Excellence titrator has provided a perfect solution for the university; saving them considerable analysis time. can be tailored to the needs of the process.

Taylor adds, The unique properties of ionic liquids means they have enormous potential to be used in a wide variety of applications, such as separation technologies, product recovery (with the aim to

6 Titration Simple, Automated Solution for Novel Ionic Liquids Application The process fluidics group in the chemical engineering department of the University of Sheffield, UK, researches reactivity flows where results can be applied to future chemical engineering problems. One particular problem is mass scale hydrogen generation. METTLER TOLEDO s Excellence titrator has provided a perfect solution for the university; saving them considerable analysis time. can be tailored to the needs of the process. Ionic liquids generally have negligible vapour pressure, are non-flammable and thermally stable. Ms. Taylor adds, The unique properties of ionic liquids means they have enormous potential to be used in a wide variety of applications, such as separation technologies, product recovery (with the aim to recycle them), gas purification and electrochemistry. Ms. Marie Taylor, a PhD student at the University of Sheffield using a T70 Titrator with a Rondo 60 Sample Changer and LabX Software. Ionic Liquids Greener Solvents for the Future Hydrogen has many potential uses with considerable ongoing global research into the design of hydrogen fuel cells for use in transportation. There are many ways to produce hydrogen including the use of a thermo-chemical cycle. This involves splitting the water into its component molecules (hydrogen and oxygen) through a series of chemical reactions with a heat input. At present, research is being carried out on a single reaction in one of these thermo-chemical cycles in order to improve overall efficiency. This is key to the group as PhD student Ms. Marie Taylor explains, The efficiency of the thermo-chemical cycle must be improved before it can viably be used as a commercial process. The group is also exploring ionic liquids with the right solvent properties, which Their current method involves exploring how ionic liquids can be used in a liquid/ liquid extraction step in order to separate hydriodic acid from a hydriodic acid/iodine solution. This is done by contacting an aqueous hydriodic acid/iodine solution with a hydrophobic ionic liquid and leaving the phases to settle. The phases are then analysed for acid and iodine content. In order to determine iodine and acid concentration, manual titrations with sodium thiosulphate and sodium hydroxide were previously being performed on the aqueous phase and the concentration 6

Its simplicity and ease of use make it the ideal choice for this environment.

7 T70 Excellence Titrator and Rondo 30 Sample Changer of the organic phase was determined by mass balance. Automation Proves Successful By using a T70 Titrator in conjunction with the Rondo 60 Sample Changer, the analysis has been fully automated, saving a great deal of time. Its simplicity and ease of use make it the ideal choice for this environment. The T70 is being used to carry out potentiometric redox titrations which analyze aqueous and organic, ionic liquid phases for iodine, acid and iodide content. This provides the added benefit of increased accuracy due to the analysis of both phases. In addition, the auto titrator can be further adapted to future developments as the group s research areas alter. The simple addition of burettes drives, sensors and a conductivity card means that the group can grow the system to meet new demands. If the volume of samples increases, the option of expanding the auto sampler is available. Ms. Taylor explains, These titrations were very time consuming and so an automated process was sought. She adds, METTLER TOLEDO understood my problem exactly and was therefore able to offer the best solution. By speeding up this process the group s research is a step closer to finding the most promising ionic liquid which in time could help fuel a greener future. } 7

8 New Products and Technologies From METTLER TOLEDO METTLER TOLEDO delivers powerful solutions that simplify work in laboratories around the world. Combining our state-of-the-art technologies with our applicative competence, we have a strong value proposition to make: accurate results and productivity second to none. Weighing Solutions and Analytical Instruments New ErgoClips & Stands Available from 2009 We are proud to announce the expansion of our ErgoClips portfolio! The ErgoClip small flask, used for enhanced weighing directly into the 10ml volumetric flask, is now also available for analytical XS/XP balances. Please visit our website for ErgoClip filter holder to improve manual filter weighing process and new ErgoClip stands to prevent damage to ErgoClips and keep the bench space tidy. } Educational Webinars Free Application and Technology Training The interactive webinars, presented by industry leaders and internal experts, provide an opportunity to learn about specific areas of interest, including: organic synthesis, process R&D, PAT, crystallization, process safety, particle processing, reaction calorimetry, green chemistry, reaction analysis, advanced data analysis and much more. All webinars are available on-demand after the live sessions take place. } New Range of Laboratory Conductivity Sensors Easier Handling and More Precision The entire range of laboratory conductivity sensors is replaced by the second generation of InLab conductivity sensors. The robust sensors have a newly developed open tip design. Therefore, sample carryover is reduced to an absolute minimum. Cleaning and rinsing becomes easier. The linearity over the whole measuring range is maximized and the response time is shortened. All kinds of samples can be measured easily, including pure water. } Manual Multi-channel Pipetting Increase productivity with the new Pipet-Lite Adjustable Spacer the world s only manual multi-channel pipette with adjustable spacing. Ideal for routine work in genomic, proteomic, tissue culture and cell culture applications, this pipette can easily alter the format spacing from 24-well to 96-well. Just a twist is all that s required to change spacing! } Mettler-Toledo AG Laboratory Division Im Langacher CH-8606 Greifensee, Switzerland Your METTLER TOLEDO contact: For more information

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