Malvern launches SyNIRgi – the sophisticated chemical imaging system for routine use

Malvern Instruments’ launch at Pittcon 2007 (25 Feb - 2 Mar, 2007; Chicago, USA) of the SyNIRgi near infrared chemical imaging (NIR-CI) system underlines the continuing migration of this technology from its specialist roots into routine use as a highly desirable, quantitative analytical tool.

Chemical imaging is being embraced by the pharmaceutical and other industries, where its application to solid dosage forms, for example, allows determination of content uniformity, blending efficiency, polymorph distribution, moisture content, contaminant location and coating and layer thickness.

The new SyNIRgi builds on the highly successful Sapphire/NIRCI-2450 platform from Spectral Dimensions, the company having been acquired last year by Malvern Instruments. This next generation NIR-CI system adds significant additional capability in terms of data acquisition speed and increased sensitivity, setting a new performance standard. It will also accommodate an even larger imaging area and offers new sampling options. The ability to acquire >300,000 NIR spectra in a single measurement will be available as an option, and the SyNIRgi will be complemented by a newly released version of ISys, its highly successful data analysis software.

The hallmarks of SyNIRgi are its rugged construction with no moving parts, modular software that enables the development of turnkey solutions, and expandability options for automation accessories. Since NIR chemical imaging provides robust, reliable and automated data collection that is coupled tightly with quantitative, statistical, objective, reproducible and automated data processing tools, it is highly suited for routine analytical measurements. SyNIRgi is designed with this in mind. Rapid acquisition of sample data improves productivity and the enlarged image area increases the potential for simultaneous, high-throughput analyses. New sampling options mean that data collection for a variety of sample types can be optimized, and increased sensitivity enables more difficult problems to be solved.

The standard version of SyNIRgi will generate 81,920 NIR spectra from a 13 x 10 mm sample area in minutes. An option will be available to collect NIR chemical images with unprecedented image fidelity, with more than 300,000 NIR spectra in a single measurement.

Standard image analysis tools transform qualitative information contained within an image into quantitative metrics that deliver objective answers. The true value of NIR-CI is exploited only with access to the statistical and image analysis capabilities available in ISys, Malvern’s highly successful data analysis software. The SyNIRgi will be complemented by a newly released version of ISys.