If you have followed this blog in the past, then you have seen the stories that we have covered about scientists who have used GC/GC-MS to make important discoveries and conclusions.

Scientists using Gas-Chromatography-Mass Spectrometers to identify the flavours of Indian food and make conclusions about the authenticity of famous paintings were two stories that we featured, and a simple Google News search results in many more.

GC and GC-MS are obviously becoming more and more popular in laboratories around the world despite both of them still being relatively new techniques, as they give scientists an ability to analyze chemicals at a microscopic level and can be used to study a large variety of substances.

If your laboratory conducts GC and/or GC-MS testing, then you should consider CPI International for your needs.

We do not make gas chromatography-mass spectrometers, but do offer a wide assortment of GC/GC-MS products such as electron multipliers, photoionization detector (PID) lamps, organic standards and a column system in addition to sample path & introduction consumables, syringes, liners, columns, ferrules, gas clean filters and septas.

Our multipliers are designed for maximum reliability in terms of both low gain analog amplification and high gain pulse counting requirements, are made in an environment that is ISO 9002 compliant, and are tested for multiple QC parameters before they are shipped to verify their quality.

You certainly cannot go wrong with a multiplier that is delivered from CPI International.

When it comes to PID lamps, CPI International is the largest supplier on the market, as we offer a complete selection of lamps for photoionization detectors and trace gas analyzers in addition to PID lamp accessories.

The lamps that we offer are direct OEM replacements and are made from the highest purity metals, window materials and gases, and every one of them must pass multiple stringent tests and measurements before they are shipped from our facility.

Our lamps are of the highest quality known to man, last a long time, and discharge low pressure gas. If you are in the market for a PID lamp, then you should strongly consider purchasing from us.

The ion chromatography standards that we sell are made from only the highest quality raw materials and 18-megaohm de-ionized water, and are packaged in pre-cleaned high density polyethylene Passport IP2 bottles. We sell a wide variety of standards (such as EPA series standards) and can provide you with any custom standard that you may need as well.

And we also sell a GC/MS column system in addition to high quality sample paths and introduction consumables, syringes, liners, columns, ferrules, gas clean filters and septas.

We believe that our GC/GC-MS products are of the highest quality in the industry, and feel that you will as well if you give them a try.

If you would like to order GC/GC-MS equipment from CPI International or simply wish to learn more about our product line, please call 1-800-878-7654, or log onto www.cpiinternational.com.

You can also contact Marketing Director Brian Yniguez with any questions that you may have at 1-800-878-7654 ext. 320 or yniguezb@cpiinternational.com.

We focus on quality (not costs) for all products that we make, and that focus is no different for our GC/GC-MS product line. If you want the best GC/GC-MS products on the market today, then CPI International is the supplier for you.  

Of the many reasons why you should trust CPI Denver (a subsidiary of CPI International) for your ICP and ICP-MS glassware needs, perhaps the biggest one is our experience.

We have been making and marketing glassware for 13 years, and have assembled a staff of glassblowers who have each spent at least 15 years perfecting the craft of scientific glassblowing.

The experience of our glassblowers gives us an uncanny ability to manufacture any type of glassware needed for ICP and ICP-MS.

All OEM spray chambers (both in quartz and borosilicate), nebulizers, torches, bonnets and elbow adapters are just a few of the ICP/ICP-MS products that we manufacture and repair, all of which fit your and the OEM’s exact specifications.

CPI Denver can manufacture and repair any type of glassware that is needed for GC, GC-MS and AA as well, and can also repair general laboratory glassware. We also specialize in custom scientific glassware, and are capable of creating anything that your lab may require.

Our glassware is amongst the highest quality available the world over, as we follow the exact same specifications, tolerances and manufacturing processes for our OEM glassware, including adhering strictly to the OEM print requirements of measurement to .01 inch.

Regardless of the label, you can rest assured that you are getting the best glassware on the market if you are ordering it from us.

If you are interested in ordering CPI Denver glassware or simply want to learn more about the products, please call 1-800-878-7654 or log onto http://www.cpiinternational.com/cpi_denver_specialty_glassware.aspx.

Questions about our glassware can also be directed to CPI Denver General Manager Jarrett Wendt at 310-804-9388 or wendtj@cpiinternational.com.

Whether you need highly-specialized ICP/ICP-MS glassware or just repairs for a beaker or two, we can do it, want to do it, and will do it at the highest level known to man.

Our ModBlock metals block digester is a perfect example of what makes CPI International’s products so coveted.

Just like in any other market, laboratories base their purchasing decisions primarily on quality, as while buying a product like an SPE manifold or electron multiplier at the cheapest price may save them a lot of money initially, they know that it will cost them in the long run if the product doesn’t give them the benefits that they need.

And in the analytical science industry, three of the most important attributes that make up a quality product are simplicity, efficiency and durability.

Our ModBlock digester embodies all of those attributes and many more, and that is the reason why it is the premiere product for any laboratory in the world that does metals testing.

Lab workers need to analyze samples quickly, and ModBlock digesters can help them do that.

One ModBlock can digest up to 96 samples at a time at a 70 or 100 mL sample capacity, and come with an external PID controller that can operate multiple ModBlock units simultaneously (an unlimited amount of ModBlocks can be linked together) while sitting outside the fumehood.

Add that to the digester’s disposable polypropylene sample tubes that result in no cross contaimination and time savings, and you have the ability to take your throughput to unforeseen heights.

The digesters’ PID controllers (you only need one controller regardless of how many ModBlocks you have connected to each other) benefit lab workers in a variety of ways.

For one, they sit outside the fume hood, so their electronic components are saved from being exposed to acid fumes, resulting in them lasting for a quite a long time.

Secondly, the controller can operate every one of your ModBlock units at the push of a button, with you being able to select the time and temperature that you want for each digester via the controller’s manual or automatic mode. This makes it very easy to operate multiple ModBlocks.

Another important feature about the ModBlock is its in-line temperature probe that features a PFA Teflon coated RTD Sensor, as the probe allows you to monitor and control your sample and its temperature at a highly reliable level.

Handling acid fumes with the ModBlock digester is not a problem either, as its low profile means that you can keep its hoods’ sash down so as to ensure the proper exhaust of the fumes.

The ModBlock leaves only a small environmental footprint and meets the standard requirements for all EPA digestion methods, and is also manufactured to ISO 9001:2000 standards.

You don’t have to worry about a ModBlock breaking down anytime soon thanks to its graphite and advanced composite construction, both of which eliminate the possibility of corrosion and metals contamination.

Lastly, ModBlocks are compatible with a wide range of parts from other suppliers and work perfectly with our ModBlock Metals Digestion Unit.

Simply put, if you are looking for a metals digester that will increase your lab’s efficiency, be simple to operate, and last for a long time, then the ModBlock is the product for you.

If you are interested in purchasing a ModBlock or simply wish to learn more about the digester, please call our office at 800-878-7654, or log onto www.cpiinternational.com.

Some metals digesters may have disappointed you in the past, but we know that our ModBlock won’t, and we guarantee it.  

A couple of months ago we told you about how a gas chromatography-mass spectrometer helped a group of Swiss researchers analyze the flavours of Indian foods.

Well, GC-MS has once again popped up in the news, this time in the form of paintings.

As detailed in a recent Sify article entitled “Hidden secrets of world-famous paintings revealed via science,” researchers at London’s National Gallery studied the “organic chemistry” of historic master paintings, and as a result gained more knowledge into how the works of art were created (i.e. the materials that the painters used) and the changes that they have undergone since their creation (i.e. their colors then versus their colors now).

The scientists’ results led them to question both the authors and authenticity of some of the pieces as well.

“The Virgin and Child with an Angel (pictured below)” was considered to be a work of the famous Renaissance painter and goldsmith Francesco Francia and created at around the year 1490. The Washington Post states that the Gallery acquired it in 1924, but its authenticity came into question after a different version of the piece was revealed in 1954.

The National Gallery’s researchers studied the Gallery’s piece and determined that it was painted in the 19^th century, and thus a fake, and have also been able to make decisive judgments on disputed pieces of work attributed to famous painters such as Dürer and Rembrandt (as was mentioned in this Fox News article).

And what instrument did the scientists rely on most during their study?

You guessed it, a gas chromatography-mass spectrometer, which allowed the scientists to analyze “the characterization and composition of paint binding media, additions to paint media such as resins, and the composition of old varnishes.”

The sophistication of their GC-MS instrument was crucial because of both the limited quantity of the samples that were available for analysis and the complex nature of those samples, which added to the fact that some of the samples had to be translated to the chemical composition that they embodied when they were first painted onto the canvas due to degradation.

The scientists’ work is currently on display at the National Gallery in an exhibit entitled “Close Examination: Fakes, Mistakes and Discoveries,” which opened today and concludes on Sept. 12. More information on the exhibit can be found on the Gallery’s website, which is linked here.

However, GC-MS enthusiasts should not panic on that September day, as by then there will almost certainly be another story of GC-MS helping scientists accomplish a significant feat.

And any scientist who is going to be conducting GC or GC-MS in the near future should consider CPI International for their materials needs, as our GC/GC-MS product line includes electron multipliers, photoionization detector lamps and high quality organic standards in addition to syringes, liners, columns and much more.

Those who wish to receive a free CPI International catalog or inquire further about our GC and GC-MS products can do so by logging onto www.cpiinternational.com or contacting our office at 800-878-7654.

As the National Gallery researchers have demonstrated, GC-MS is a crucial tool for chemical analysis, and will continue to help scientists in their pursuit of solving makind’s questions for many years to come.

Photo Credit: The Associated Press

As some of you may already know, Colitag is now EPA-approved for ground water testing, with the decision going into effect this past June 8 (click here to view the EPA’s official announcement). 

We are obviously thrilled about the EPA’s decision, which now gives state and private laboratories the ability to use the best E. coli and coliform detection test for this type of water.

Not only will these labs be able to take advantage of Colitag’s 16-48 hour window (the longest in the industry) if they use the medium for their ground water tests, but will also be using a medium that can detect both MUG-positive and MUG-negative E. coli, which plays a large role in Colitag sporting the lowest rate of false negative tests on the market.

Colitag is EPA-approved for drinking water testing in addition to ground water testing, and can be used to test food for E. coli and coliforms as well.

Log onto www.Colitag.com to find out more about the medium, and feel free to contact director of marketing Brian Yniguez at yniguezb@cpiinternational.com if you have any questions about Colitag and our EPA approval.

Those who are interested in ordering Colitag can call us at 800-878-7654 or log onto www.CPIInternational.com and fill out the quick order form.

If you are a science and sports junkie like we are, then you’ll probably like this ScienceDaily article, which discusses the physics of the soccer ball that will be used in this year’s World Cup (click here to view the article).

In the article, entitled “Will the new World Cup soccer ball Bend?” Derek Leinweber (the Head of the university’s School of Chemistry and Physics who studied the ball with Master’s of Philosophy in Physics candidate Adrian Kiratidis) states that the Adidas-manufactured Jabulani (pictured below) is significantly rougher than the Teamgeist ball that Adidas made for the 2006 World Cup, and that the Jabulani’s aerodynamic ridges “are likely to create enough turbulence around the ball to sustain its flight longer, and be a faster, harder ball in play.”

Leinweber also says that “by the time the ball reaches the goalkeeper, the Jabulani will have swerved and dipped, arriving with more power and energy than the Teamgeist.”

It should be interesting to see how the Jabulani plays in South Africa this year, in addition to whether or not the majority of the Cup’s stadiums being located at high altitudes has an affect on the footballers.

We here at CPI International are proud to be headquartered in Sonoma County, a beautiful area with great people, great schools, and the best wine in the world.

So when we heard that six players with ties to the county were picked in this year’s Major League Baseball Draft, naturally we were ecstatic.

We’d like to congratulate former Santa Rosa Junior College standouts Matt Thomson, Westley Moss and Josh Krist as well as Sonoma State University’s Scott Alexander, Tillman Pugh and Tyler Hess for their tremendous accomplishment, and wish them the best of luck in the future.

Thomson was chosen by the Oakland Athletics in the 12^th round of the draft, while Moss was tabbed by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 16^th round and Krist was taken by the Seattle Mariners in the 39^th round.

Thomson is a pitcher who played for the University of San Diego this past year, and is also a graduate of El Molino High School in Forestville, while Krist is also a pitcher who played for Cal Poly Pomona and is an alum of Petaluma High School. 

Moss is originally from Irving, TX, and has been an outfielder for the University of Nevada since 2009.

On the Sonoma State side, Alexander (a pitcher) was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the sixth round, with Pugh (an outfielder) being chosen by the New York Mets in the 15^th round and Hess (a pitcher) selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 19^th round.

Alexander is a native of Windsor and alum of Santa Rosa’s Cardinal Newman High School, while Pugh and Hess hail from Oakland and Alamo respectively and both went to Concord’s De La Salle High School.

Alexander, Pugh and Hess all have a year of eligibility remaining with the Seawolves. It is unclear as to what Alexander and Hess’ plans are, but Pugh told Washington state’s Longview Daily News that he plans on signing with the Mets.

The Santa Rosa Press Democrat’s article on the three SRJC players selected in the draft can be found by clicking here, while more info on Sonoma State’s three draftees can be found here.

We hope that these six players can represent Sonoma County in the big league someday, but know that their education, work ethic and determination will make the Redwood Empire proud for years to come, regardless of whether they end up being the next Tim Lincecum or the CEO of CPI International.

Since our founding in 1986, CPI International has seen firsthand the importance of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) products when it comes to analyzing chemicals, in terms of both ensuring the safety of products and people and as a means to make products better.  

The value of this analytical science process is highlighted in a recent April article by The Independent’s Daisy Dumas entitled “the secret world of the taste makers.” The article details the analysis of Indian foods by a group of employees for Givaudan, a Switzerland-based flavour and fragrance developer (you can read the article here ).  

In one part of the article Dumas writes of Klaus Gassenmeier (the head of analytical science for the company’s Europe office) pouring liquid captured from an Indian flat-bread called paratha into a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer so that its molecules could be broken down, giving Gassenmeier “A fingerprint of the food’s aromas,” and thus the opportunity for him and his employees to use their chemical and cooking expertise to produce the paratha’s flavours themselves.

Dumas goes on to state that “Aroma fingerprints of popular foods through GCMS provide the best facsimiles possible of communities’ collective culinary consciences,” and that “There is big business in getting it right.” 

The article states that the flavor industry brought in $20 billion in sales for 2009 and that demand for natural flavours is expected to reach 6,551 tons by 2012, while also noting that Givaudan generates $4 billion a year in revenue from its taste and aroma business.

An interesting read, Dumas’ piece underscores the value of GC-MS’ as a weapon in the analytical scientists arsenal, as it can not only be used to analyze chemicals in food and beverages, but also fire debris and the atmosphere of Venus.

As an analytical science company, CPI International supplies a wide range of GC-MS products and chromatography products in general, such as electron multipliers, concentrators and column systems in addition to standards and reference materials.

For more information about CPI International’s GC-MS product line and the other analytical science products that we offer, log onto www.cpiinternational.com, or contact marketing manager Adrian Azodi at azodia@cpiinternational.com.    

Why does CPI International CEO David Hejl call his Colitag water testing solution for coliforms and E. coli “Next generation technology?”

Well, because it is.

One of the leading drinking water testing media’s on the market, Colitag’s testing window of 16-48 hours is the industry’s widest. Coltiag is also the only one of its kind that can identify both MUG-positive and MUG-negative forms of E. coli.

Colitag also features our “Acid Resuscitation” patent, which identifies E. coli and coliforms that have been injured by chlorine but whose presence is still a threat.

Injured E. coli can be missed by other tests, but not with Colitag. Plus, Colitag also gives off a brighter fluorescence for water samples that contain E. coli so as to reduce the number of false positive tests that often result from other MUG-based methods of testing.  

Conducting a test with Colitag is extremely easy; it basically just requires a “snap and a pour” application. You simply snap open the blister and pour it into a 100 mL sample of water before incubation for 16-48 hours (Visit http://www.colitag.com/products/what_are.asp for our official instructions).

After the desired incubation period has passed, you simply take the sample and check to see if the sample’s color has changed from the normal colorlessness of water to yellow (it contains coliforms and possibly E. coli if it has). If the color of the sample is not yellow, then the water has tested negative for coliforms and E. coli. However, if the sample is yellow, then you next use a long wavelength (365 nanometer) UV Lamp to see if the sample becomes fluorescent blue. If, under the UV Lamp, the sample fluoresces blue, then it is positive for E.coli. 

In addition to being the premier testing method for coliforms and E. coli, Colitag is also economical and convenient, as it is the most affordable water testing solution on the market from a cost-per-test standpoint, has a 22-month shelf life, is used with disposable sample vessels (no glassware is required for Colitag’s procedure) and is compatible with other testing methods.

Colitag was EPA approved for use in an MPN format (assuming that a 100 mL sample of water is used for the test), and can also be used to test food and non-water beverage products for coliforms and E. coli.

If you wish to find out more about Colitag, please visit http://www.colitag.com, and if you have any questions or comments about the product feel free to contact our office directly at 800-878-7654 or via email at azodia@cpiinternational.com.

There is no better product for testing coliforms and E. coli than Colitag, as it is versatile, easy to use, and extremely effective, giving citizens the confidence of knowing that what they are drinking and/or eating has been subjected to the most versatile and revolutionary test for coliforms and E. coli that exists in the world today.

So both are designed to detect metals within a given samples, but what makes these instruments so different? Today I’m going to do a little bit of comparing and contrasting between these spectrometry instruments. A benefit to the ICP-MS is that it has the capabilities to 24-36 elements simultaneously or sequentially, depending on which particular instrument you are using, where as you can only test one element at a time on a GFAA. This makes it very useful in medical fields, especially for toxicology. The GFAA is very sensitive due to its graphite tube, and can be used to detect very low levels of some metals, down to .5 ppb. This high level of sensitivity and makes it ideal for forensics. A benefit of the GFAA is that you can use a much smaller sample than possible with ICP-MS (30 uL compared to 30 mL, respectively). Overall, the instrument you choose will be based on the way you plan to use it because each has their own benefits. -Sam