Thursday 31 March 2011

MTS Recommends... Chiral Method Development Screening Techniques

Chiral Method Development Screening Techniques: A practical guide and new approaches in LC-MS by David S Bell & Denise Wallworth, Chromatography Today, September 2009

When faced with developing a chiral HPLC method it is difficult to predict which type of chiral column will give the best results for your analyte. Screening a range of columns and conditions allows you to pick the most suitable. This article describes a screening approach for chiral HPLC.

Monday 21 March 2011

Phenomenex Press Release for HPLC Training Courses in UK

The MTS training consultant, Oona McPolin, will be delivering a series of HPLC training courses in partnership with Phenomenex over 2011. The following press release about the courses has been released by Phenomenex:

These new training courses are designed to cater for novice chromatographers through to experienced method developers. This new series of courses will provide you with practical skills and knowledge to utilise immediately in your own working environment.
At locations across the UK: London, Milton Keynes, Crewe, Glasgow & Edinburgh

Courses being run in 2011 are:

How to….
Course 1: Run HPLC methods.
Course 2: Develop HPLC methods
Course 3: Validate chromatographic methods
Course 4: Develop HPLC methods for challenging separations
Course 5: Troubleshoot HPLC

All courses cost just £195+ VAT (this includes full course materials, refreshments, lunch and post course assessment with certificate of completion).

Download Course Brochure: Click Here

Although sponsored by Phenomenex, these courses are written and presented by Mrs Oona McPolin (BSC, MSc, CSci, CChem, MRSC) who has considerable experience and is fully qualified in the areas of both pharmaceutical analysis and training practice. She worked as an analytical chemist for over 10 years at a major global pharmaceutical company, on a range of drug development projects also with responsibility for many pharmaceutical analysis training programmes. Mrs McPolin has obtained the industry standard qualification for training, the Certificate in Training Practice, from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

For more information or to book a place, please contact Phenomenex Today.
Tel: 01625 501367(UK) 01 247 5405(Eire) Email: ukinfo@phenomenex.com

Friday 18 March 2011

Troubleshooting Tip: Baseline noise

PEAK SOLUTIONS 
A resource for chromatographers

If there is regular noise in your HPLC baseline then you need to figure out what is causing it before you can find a solution. A good first step is to turn off the pump and monitor the output from your detector. If the noise is still present then the problem is not linked to the flow of mobile phase. For a UV detector the most likely source of the noise is the lamp, either it has aged to a point where it needs replaced, or it is defective. Replacing the lamp should resolve the problem. If the noise stops when the pump is stopped then it is linked to the flow of mobile phase. Likely causes are:
  • Trapped air in the flow cell - try flushing with degassed mobile phase, or a strong solvent
  • A leak - carefully check your system for leaks and refit or replace the affected part
  • Temperature fluctuations - control the temperature
  • Incomplete mobile phase mixing - if you are using the HPLC system to mix the mobile phase, try mixing the mobile phase by hand and see if the noise goes away. 
  

Tuesday 15 March 2011

MTS Recommends... LC Modelling using DryLab

3-Dimensional Retention Modelling of Gradient Time, Ternary Solvent-Strength and Temperature of the Reversed-phase Gradient Liquid Chromatography of a Complex Mixture of 22 Basic and Neutral Analytes using DryLab® 2010 by Melvin R Euerby, Gesa Schad, Hans-Jürgen Rieger & Imre Molnár, Chromatography Today, December 2010

In this article the HPLC modelling software, DryLab, is used to model a separation of pharmaceutical analytes using gradient time, temperature and ternary composition. Probably the most common approach for computer modelling is using a combination of gradient time and temperature, so this approach adds the potential use of ternary mixtures of mobile phases and brings the increased selectivity options that this will provide. This article will be of interest to anyone using computer simulation as part of their method development strategy.

Friday 11 March 2011

HPLC Training in Belfast

Last Tuesday, the MTS training consultant, Oona McPolin, delivered the training course ‘How to Troubleshoot HPLC’ at the Culloden Hotel in Belfast. The training was well received generating very positive feedback. This one day course is designed with two aims, to provide: 1 - a full understanding of how HPLC systems work so that users can prevent problems from occurring, and 2 - knowledge of the symptoms of common problems to allow successful troubleshooting. Thank you to everyone who took part and don’t forget to get in touch if you have any HPLC troubleshooting questions.

We plan to organise further training sessions later this year on the topics of HPLC method development and method validation at venues in Ireland. Get in touch if you are interested in attending these courses.