Industrial spectrometer.

Process Insights has expanded its industrial mass spectrometer range with the new Extrel MAX300-RTG 2.0 with touchscreen for process applications.

Chuck DeCarlo, Business Development Manager at Process Insights, states: “The MAX300-RTG 2.0 from Extrel offers continuous real-time analysis for process control. Our industry-leading mass spectrometers are backed by over four decades of excellence in industrial automation and our customers have come to rely on the rugged stability and ease-of-use they provide for continuous operation in challenging manufacturing environments."

With the ability to report the complete stream composition and multi-port stream selector for up to 160 samples, the MAX300-RTG 2.0 offers fast analysis for a range of industries including oil refineries, syngas plants, polymer plants, renewable gas, steel, pharmaceuticals, and government/university laboratories.

The MAX300-RTG 2.0 features an integrated customizable 15” touch screen display and user-friendly GUI interface making it very easy to use with minimal training. It has the speed necessary to analyze the total composition of a sample in seconds and can be fully automated to measure several points in a process, or multiple production lines, with a single analyzer.

Through reduced operating costs due to low maintenance and utility requirements, a lower capital cost compared to other technologies and fast online gas analysis for increased manufacturing efficiency, product yield, and equipment uptime, the MAX300-RGT 2.0 provides consistent, ongoing return on investment (ROI).

With its ability to monitor the operation of several process units, the MAX300-RTG 2.0 can be used to replace multiple gas chromatograph (GC) systems. It is easy to use and has an uptime of >99%. This is achieved through a combination of low maintenance requirements, a modular design including pre-assembled service replacement parts, and a plug-and-play ionizer that reduces cleaning requirements.

@ExtrelCMS @codacomms #PAuto #Laboratory

Selenium in shampoo!

Rapid and accurate analysis of Selenium in shampoo ensuring compliance with EU cosmetic products legislation

Thermo Fisher Scientific has published a new method guide for the analysis of selenium in shampoo. The method, which aligns with the European Union commission directive 97/73/EEC
stipulating the methods of analysis necessary for checking composition of cosmetic products, features the Thermo Scientific iCE 3000 Series atomic absorption spectrometers. These spectrometers include deuterium background correction as standard and offer a fast and accurate solution for the analysis of selenium in shampoo. The iCE 3000's wizard-driven SOLAAR software also provides simple spectrometer optimization and method development
tools. The method is detailed in an application note, entitled "The Determination of Selenium in Shampoo by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry."


Pityriasis capitis, more commonly known as dandruff, and seborrheic dermatitis, an inflammatory disease of the skin, are treated with selenium disulphide, which is contained in lotions and shampoos. After rinsing, selenium disulphide residues may remain on the scalp and can enter the body through broken or damaged skin. Since the element is considered to be a potential carcinogen, limits have been set for its content in shampoos and lotions. Commission directive 93/73/EEC mandates flame atomic absorption spectrometry with deuterium background correction as the formal method to measure and regulate the concentration of selenium disulphide in shampoo.

The new application note demonstrates how the iCE 3000 Series can be used for the identification and determination of selenium disulphide in a range of medicinal shampoos. Identification is performed by observation of a reactionary color change, while flame atomic absorption spectrometry is used for the quantitative determination of selenium. The spectrometer can be optimized simply and quickly using the wizard-driven SOLAAR software.
Deuterium background correction is implemented to ensure regulatory compliance and spiked recoveries used to verify the accuracy of the method. Experimental results have demonstrated that flame atomic absorption spectrometry with deuterium background correction is the ideal technique for the dependable analysis of selenium disulphide in shampoo.

The iCE 3000 Series atomic absorption spectrometers are high-performance, flexible, easy-to-use and compact systems. The iCE 3300 is a fully PC-controlled flame atomic absorption spectrometer with full graphite furnace and vapour generation options. The iCE 3400 features a dedicated Zeeman furnace system, superior optics and flexible background correction options to maximize analytical performance and simplicity. The iCE 3500 is a dual flame/furnace atomiser allowing automatic, efficient and safe switching between flame and furnace analyses. Advanced optics and background correction accuracy ensure best analytical performance.

Collaboration on dementia research

Thermo Fisher Scientific is collaborating with the BrainMet (Bioimaging of Metals in Brain and Metallomics) Centre at Forschungszentrum, Jülich, (D) to advance dementia research by studying the effects of metals and metalloproteins in ageing and in the origin of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases and Wilson’s syndrome.

From L-R: Prof Harald Bolt, Project member of the Analytical
BrainMet Centre, Dr. habil. J. Sabine Becker, head of the Analytical
BrainMet Centre and Juergen Srega, vice president global products,
scientific instruments, Thermo Fisher Scientific

To carry out the challenging research in the BrainMet laboratory, a Thermo Scientific XSERIES 2 inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) was installed, combining third-generation collision cell and protective ion extraction technologies with an ergonomic, compact design. Led by Dr. habil. Sabine Becker, the BrainMet Centre was officially opened in collaboration with Thermo Fisher by Juergen Srega, vice president global products, scientific instruments, Thermo Fisher Scientific in December 2009 to investigate new and powerful technologies for dementia research.

In most neurodegenerative diseases, abnormal accumulations of metals are observed in the brain, leading to the destruction of the neural network and subsequent cell death. Analysts at the BrainMet Centre are researching the quantitative distribution of essential and toxic metals in thin native tissue sections on the brain. When combining the studies on the bioimaging of metals to metallomics it is possible to explore the relationship between metal ions and metalloproteins in brain tissue and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease. The resulting data from these studies are successfully combined by BrainMet with neuro-scientific imaging procedures (MRI, PET, auto-radiography, histochemical and optical imaging techniques) to enable high-tech biomedical research.

Dr. habil. J. Sabine Becker, head of the Analytical BrainMet Centre, comments: “We are delighted to have entered into this exciting collaboration with Thermo Fisher. The state-of-the-art XSERIES 2 has been extremely efficient for quantitative bioimaging of metals of healthy and diseased samples of brain tissue and also for investigating the growth of brain tumors and strokes. Our ultimate goal is to advance dementia research and help the pharmaceutical industry introduce new therapies. The XSERIES 2 is very reliable and easy to use while providing the high signal to background ratio and excellent sensitivity that is required for our research.”