Blog Posts

Prof Dan demonstrates how to use standards to quantify

Watch as Dan demonstrates how to use standards to quantify the amount of a certain substance in a material.      

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Measurement of a psychoactive compound in kratom supplements

Kratom is a plant native to Southeast Asia that has a variety of effects, many due to the active compound Mitragynine that is present in varying amounts in the plant.  For this reason, you can find kratom in vitamin stores being sold as a supplement.  It is marketed as an energy booster, mood enhancer, pain…
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How to better separate peaks in Gas Chromatography (GC) or Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)

Listen in as Prof Dan shows you what to do when peaks are coming out too close together in Gas Chromatography (GC) or Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). He gives some simple tips that can help better separate the peaks so you can better identify and quantify different compounds present in a sample.    

DEET analysis in bug sprays

Tis the season for spraying DEET in our faces to make sure we don’t get eaten alive by bugs! DEET, or N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide, is one of the most widely used active ingredients in bug sprays.  It was developed by the US Army for this purpose in 1946 and made available to the public in 1957.  There…
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Dyes in Breakfast Cereals

While eating breakfast with my kid, they asked me about the dyes in the cereal.  That got me thinking about the different dyes in food and how these dyes were analyzed.  I thought that a UV-Vis instrument would be the best choice. But, what about an HPLC with a UV detector? I figured a UV…
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What are these chemists thinking??

Look at what we caught these chemists doing in and out of the lab.  Although comical, we’ve all seen some of this happen before…

How NOT to prep a sample in tablet form

Sometimes there’s a wrong way to do things and a right way to do things.  In the case of preparing samples that are in tablet form, there’s a correct way and an incorrect way.  Take a look at this video to see what we’re talking about.  HR Rick is less than happy about it being…
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Amino Acid Analysis in Supplements

Amino acids are the building blocks of life.  Every living thing uses amino acids to build the proteins needed to do various functions within the organism.  Where do amino acids come from and how many are needed to function?  For humans, there are a total of 20 amino acids that are necessary for your body…
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How do you know if your GC or HPLC is giving good results?

This video walks you through System Suitability, which tests your Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC) or Gas Chromatograph (GC) to help you ensure that your system is functioning properly and giving good results.