In this podcast, Spex is joined by Robert Thomas to discuss the cannabis testing industry and the challenges for inorganic testing of cannabis. Robert (Rob) Thomas is the principal of Scientific Solutions, an educational consulting company that serves the needs of the trace ele­ment user community. He has worked in the field of atomic and mass spectroscopy for almost 50 years, including 24 years for a manufacturer of atomic spectroscopic instrumentation. He has served on the American Chemic...

Millions of people around the world are stricken with food or waterborne illnesses each year. Thousands of people will succumb to their illnesses. Food safety and testing are a critical part of analytical research to ensure that chemicals, bacteria, viruses and molds do not endanger the food we consume or the water we drink. In this podcast, we will look at the sources of foodborne illness and some of the most common or dangerous causes for foodborne illness. Hosted by Patricia Atkins, Spex...

Creating calibration curves or calculating dilutions are a common everyday occurrence in an analytical laboratory. However, these simple procedures can be full of potential error and contamination which can ultimately effect the data and skew results. In this podcast, we will look at the best practices for dilutions, calibration curves and unit conversions to help you reduce error and improve your results. Hosted by Patricia Atkins, Spex's Senior Applications Scientist Stay connected ...

In this podcast, we introduce and share insight on our newest set of products, the Genomax and DNAmax kits. The Genomax is an automated high-throughput plant and animal tissue homogenizer and cell lyser designed for rapid cell disruption, cell lysis and tissue homogenization through bead beating. This enables fast and efficient extraction of nucleic acids, proteins and other molecules. Typical applications include molecular biology, pharmaceutical, clinical research, and extract...

Mold and Fungi ubiquitous in the world and a persistent and dangerous contaminant for many agricultural products. Their size and spore mobility causes fungi to spread through agricultural products quickly when the environmental conditions are favorable. In this podcast, learn how significant crop losses and foodborne illness can be attributed mold and fungi when secondary metabolites called mycotoxins develop. Spex now offers the five most common mycotoxins in one easy to use standard for yo...

Analytical chemistry consists of classical methods (i.e. wet chemical methods) and instrumental methods (i.e. spectrometry, chromatography etc.). Wet chemistry or classical analysis are forms of analytical chemistry that use proven historical (classical) methods to determine the identity, amount or form of an analyte or element using wet techniques. Wet chemistry is sometimes called bench chemistry since many methods or assays occur at the laboratory bench and use laboratory glassware or plas...

Chromatography is a critical tool that analytical scientists use every day, often without much consideration for how all the parts work together. In this podcast, we will take a deeper look into the history, operation and functionality of liquid chromatography to show analyst how the different components fit together to perform their function. In this podcast, we will break down the processes needed to make liquid chromatography work for the lab. Hosted by Patricia Atkins, Spex's Seni...

Water is one of the most important chemicals and commodities in the world. Billions of people worldwide do not have access to clean drinking water traveling long distances to use substandard polluted water sources. Even in the United States, the majority of states have issues meeting water quality standards. In the rise of concerns of municipal water, bottle water has taken on an important role in hydration and the economy. In this podcast, we look at drinking water, bottled water and water ...

VapLock is a safety solution for scientists, chemical hygienists, and researchers worldwide, designed to ensure proper delivery and waste containment of industrial chemicals and solvents. Vaplock's mission is to create a safer, healthier and cleaner workplace by providing unique, effective and price sensitive solutions to fluid handling problems in the laboratory. In this podcast, Patricia Atkins, is joined with Justus Keller, VapLock consultant for Antylia Scientific. Patricia and Justus di...

Accuracy in analytical testing starts at the very beginning with sampling and sample preparation prior to testing. If sample collection processes are flawed, then the final answers will be biased. The basis of accuracy of sampling and testing often rests on two inter-related and fundamental concepts: representative samples and homogeneity. Representative samples are selected to accurately reflect the larger group and should represent the characteristics of the group. Ideally representative sa...