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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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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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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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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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.
Vitamin C is a water soluble, key nutrient found in fruits, vegetables and berries. Unlike many animals, humans cannot synthesize their own vitamin C and must get it from their diets. One way to supplement the intake of vitamin C would be to take a vitamin. I decided to test 3 different vitamins for vitamin…
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Solvents are used extensively in labs and chemical manufacturing as starting materials for a chemical process; the diluent for a product, starting material, or reaction; or in the analysis of a starting material or product for quality purposes. Often times after use, that solvent is then sent into a waste stream to be dealt with…
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Join Prof Dan as he explains what an FID (Flame Ionization Detector) is. Other than Mass Spec, FID is the most common type of detector used in a GC (Gas Chromatograph). Imagine blowing a stream of chemicals into a candle then measuring the amount of static electricity, and you’ll get a rough idea of how…
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Now that spring is here and all things pollen are happening it’s time to get the allergy medicine ready. In honor of this wondrous time of year, we thought we would test some allergy meds! While not the usual way to test these medications, I decided to see if I could test using the Lucidity…
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Folic Acid, Folate, or Vitamin B9 is a key vitamin used by the human body to generate new healthy red blood cells, form DNA and RNA, and break down a certain amino acid, homocysteine, that can be harmful in high amounts. The need for Folic Acid is especially important during pregnancy, which is why there…
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