Eliminate Doubt, Discover the Unknown Compounds that are Key to Solving your Critical Challenges
Eliminate Doubt, Discover the Unknown. Critical to your success as an analytical chemist, is the ability to determine the individual components in a sample where the most important compounds are usually not known. The science of analytical chemistry, and its quest to answer the questions “What is there?” and “How much is there?” is used […]
Brand Protection of Products by Thermal Desportion-GC/MS
The flavor of a food or beverage engages far more sensory input than taste alone. From a biological perspective, flavor may be defined as the sum of taste, aroma (smell sensation), texture (touch sensation), and other physical features (e.g., temperature) that create mouth feel. The contributions of taste and aroma to flavor are made through […]
The Importance of Vehicle Indoor Air Quality
The coveted “new car smell” is now known to result from chemicals emitted from plastic and leather parts that make up the interior of automobiles. These parts emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs; e.g., benzene, formaldehyde), semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs; e.g., phthalates, trichlorophenyl phosphate [TCPP]), and other chemicals. For example, TCPP is a flame retardant often […]
The Importance of Terpene Analysis in Cannabis Edibles and Concentrates
As of February 2017, 29 states in the US (plus the District of Columbia; DC) have legislation, either in place or in progress, permitting the use of medical marijuana[A1] . Another 16 states have decriminalized possession[A2] , and 8 states (plus DC) have legalized marijuana[A3] for recreational use. With such changes in legislation, it is no surprise that […]
Detecting Perflourinated Compounds in Contaminated Community Water Supplies
We are all aware of the tragedy that has played out in Flint, MI due to the presence of lead in their drinking water supply. Now, another serious water contamination threat is gaining visibility and additional regulatory attention. The source of the problem is perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) introduced in the late 1940’s, which have found […]
Engineering Aromas in Meat Substitutes
One of the latest trends in the food industry is a growing demand for vegetarian alternatives to meat products. This is the case even in countries that have traditionally leaned toward meat-centric diets. For example, in the last two years 34% of German consumers have reduced the amount of meat in their diet. This trend is driven […]
New Methods for Beer Flavor and Aroma Analysis
Craft beers have revitalized the beer industry, to the point that there are now more breweries in the United States than there were before prohibition. Perhaps the newest trend in brewing is the development of gluten-free beers, which many craft breweries have begun making. The market for gluten–free beers is expected to grow at 40% per year through […]
Cannaboid Testing in Forensic Toxicology in the Wave of Legalized Marijuana
Currently, 26 US states have approved medical marijuana in their legislature, while another 16 have decriminalized possession and 4 states (plus DC) have legalized marijuana use. Marijuana per se driving laws for driving under the influence of drugs (DUID) were enacted in 17 states, making it illegal for someone to operate a vehicle with detectable THC (Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol) […]
Meeting the Demand for Pesticide Screening of Marijuana
Strong interest at the state level for legalization of both medical and recreational marijuana use has created a marijuana production industry in the US that is growing rapidly. In fact, half of the states have already legalized marijuana for one or both of these uses. The number of states allowing use of marijuana could also continue to […]
Government Imposes Tough New Chemical Plant Safety Rules
Shortly after 7:30 p.m. on April 17, 2013, a massive explosion and fire at a fertilizer blending, storage, and distribution plant in West, Texas, killed 15 people and injured 260 more. The facility was completely destroyed. Nearby schools, an apartment building and a nursing home were also heavily damaged and had to be demolished. An […]