Analytical chemistry round-up for 2019
Take a look back through 2019 at the best content from our analytical community
24 Dec 2019
The past 12 months have been an exciting time for the SelectScience analytical chemistry communities. Our editors have had the opportunity to speak with leading scientists, host fascinating and informative webinars and travel to international conferences, all with a view to bringing you the latest techniques and technology trends from across the field. In this end-of-year round-up, we look again at the most compelling news and content of 2019 and reflect on the new technologies which have made the greatest impact in the field.
January: A tasty start to the new year
We kicked off 2019 by taking a closer look at something (almost) everyone loves: cookies. We found out how analytical techniques in the food industry such as moisture content analysis are essential to make sure cookies not only taste great but are safe to eat and have a longer shelf-life. Read article>>
February: Show season
February often signals the start of conference season and every year we travel the world to cover the biggest science and technology stories at these shows. Once again, we brought you video interviews and the biggest stories in laboratory automation and screening directly from the exhibition floor at SLAS, in Washington, USA. See our coverage>>
March: Sharing success
This month, we attended Pittcon 2019 in Philadelphia, USA, where we announced some of the winners of our annual Scientists’ Choice Awards, among them INTEGRA Biosciences and Puerto Rican hurricane hero Dr. Melvin De Jesus Flores. See who won here>>
Discover more highlights from Pittcon 2019>>
April: Mass spec spotlight
Mass spectrometry has long been considered a gold standard in analytical techniques. As technology has developed, mass spectrometry methods have been refined. This month, we hosted a popular webinar with experts at Thermo Fisher Scientific exploring how mass spec can be used to combat challenges in small molecular compound identification. Watch now>>
May: Fluorine & wine
In May, we found out from Dr. Naser Jasim how research chemists from York University, U.K., are using analytical technology to support the design of novel fluorine-based compounds that transform our lives. Read article>>
The Scientists’ Channel is a revolutionary new video platform that enables scientists to present their work and innovations online, in a trusted and moderated way across multiple fields, from cell culture and NMR to cannabis testing and clinical laboratory diagnostics. This month, we spoke to scientists from the Hungarian Wine Consortium, comprised of Bruker and Diagnosticum, who are working on an exciting initiative to prevent wine fraud through chemical analysis. Watch video>>
June: ASMS & Raman microscopy
In an especially busy month, we partnered with WITec GmbH to release an informative eBook explaining confocal Raman microscopy and how this technique can be used in various fields of applications including materials, life sciences, and pharmaceuticals. Download eBook>>
Our show coverage continues with ASMS in Atlanta, U.S.A. SelectScience editors attended the show to report on the latest and greatest in mass spectrometry and the allied topics, and also interviewed a host of leading experts in the mass spectrometry field as part of our video coverage.
Among our ASMS interviewees was the esteemed Professor Michal Sharon, from the Weizmann Institute of Science, who shared how her lab uses a new native mass spectrometry technique to analyze and understand the structure-function relationship of large protein complexes. Watch video>>
Meanwhile, Sartorius presented an application note illustrating how HPLC analysis can be used for analysis across multiple applications. Download app note>>
Watch video highlights from ASMS>>
July: Nanomaterials & a Nobel laureate
We released our Nanomaterials and Particle Size Analysis Special Feature, featuring downloadable useful resources across a broad range of applications from metal microstructure to food quality analysis. It also included an exclusive interview with the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry winner, Sir Fraser Stoddart. Visit feature>>
This month we published our interview with Dr. Andrew Mahan, of Janssen, looking at opportunities to automate data acquisition and analysis of biopharmaceutical characterization using mass spectrometry. Watch Dr. Mahan’s interview>>
Scientists’ are known for being dedicated and passionate about their work but one scientist from the University of Puerto Rico truly encompassed this. Dr. Melvin De Jesus Flores describes how his efforts following one of the most destructive hurricane seasons, resulting in Hurricane Maria in 2017, led to him successfully saving his prized Bruker NMR system at the University of Puerto Rico. Watch video>>
August: HPLC eBook
Our how-to-buy eBooks offer scientists the dos and don’ts and key factors to consider when looking to invest in new technology. August's HPLC eBook is a firm favorite and covers the principles of HPLC, sample prep and future trends so you are always ahead of the curve in your field. Download eBook>>
As part of our ongoing series of interviews with leading scientists, this month we spoke with President of the German Society for Mass Spectrometry, Prof. Dr. Andrea Sinz, who told us how she and her team were using chemical cross-linking and mass spectrometry for protein analysis. Read the interview to find out more>>
September: New cannabis community, GSK insights & faster food testing
This month, SelectScience launched its new cannabis testing community to give scientists working within this rapidly expanding field of scientific research a voice and access to the latest techniques and technologies. As part of that, in another exclusive interview this month, we heard from Emerald Scientific how it is bringing analytical scientists together to advance cannabis science. Read interview>>
The quest for faster analytical methods in food quality and safety testing is never-ending. This month, we heard from Jane Guido, principal scientist at Kalsec Inc., about key issues facing the food industry, the innovative technologies helping to accelerate analytical workflows and her predictions for the future. Read more>>
We also learned how GSK has been evaluating new technologies to drive efficiency in biopharma molecule development, in this exclusive interview with Dr. Paul Abu-Rabie. Read interview>>
Our webinars are designed to help scientists keep up to date with advances in their field. There was a great turnout for September's webinar, in which experts on analytical method development (AQbD) presented regulatory views, examples of a design of experiments (DOE) approach in AQbD and benefits and case studies demonstrating software-assisted AQbD method development. Watch on demand>>
October: New Cannabis Testing channel
This month, we had a chance to catch up with Dr. Richard Kay, a senior research associate from Cambridge University, who spoke about using mass spectrometry to measure gut hormone peptides in relation to diabetes. Watch video>>
Meanwhile, our coverage of cannabis science expanded with the launch of our new Cannabis Testing channel on The Scientists' Channel. Among the first videos was our interview with Dr. Nathaly Reyes Garcés and Colton Myers, who explain how they achieve accurate analysis of pesticides and terpenes in cannabis products via solvent extraction, GC and headspace analysis. Watch video>>
November: Super sensor skills
In this month's webinar, Dr. Sabrina Gschwind, sensors product manager at Metrohm, discussed proper sensor maintenance and tips and tricks to increase the quality of your titration results to avoid wasting time on tedious root cause analysis and instrument downtime due to sensor failure. Watch on demand>>
December: ESR & high-throughput metabolomics
After each of our successful webinars, we write up the highlights, highlighting the webinar's theme and capturing the most important questions and answers that arise during the live event. December's webinar discussed trends and challenges in high-throughput metabolomics and 13C metabolic flux analysis. Read highlights>>
In a video interview published this month, Dr. Harun Koku and Dr. Emre Büküşoğlu, assistant professors at the Middle East Technical University, discussed the use of electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy equipment in teaching laboratories. They described how having high-quality, easy-to-use, and compact instrumentation is beneficial for their own work as well as for the educational and professional development of their students. Watch video>>
We hope you enjoyed 2019 as much as we did — we have even more planned for the SelectScience Analytical Chemistry Community in 2020, so look out for even more interviews, top technology tips, and expert webinars and don’t forget to follow our social channels to stay up to date.
Happy Holidays from all at SelectScience — here’s to a great 2020!
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