Shimadzu Scientific Instruments and Camo Software have announced a partnership that will enable Shimadzu in which Shimadzu will provide Camo’s multivariate data analysis software, The Unscrambler® to FT-IR customers requiring chemometric analysis.

The da vinci:Arm from Harrick Scientific is an articulated opto-mechanical FT-IR accessory designed for analysing samples that are too large to fit into the sample compartment of a spectrometer. The da Vinci Arm enables the analyses of samples by specular, diffuse and ATR reflection techniques. Since the da Vinci Arm is articulated, it simplifies analysis of samples in front of, below or above the spectrometer sample compartment. An integral camera provides for magnified viewing and image capture of the sampled spot.

Harrick Scientific’s Omni-Diff is a diffuse reflectance probe designed to interface to virtually any spectrometer via fibre optics. This miniature accessory is equipped with input and output SMA connectors that can be readily attached to a fibre optic coupler, like the Harrick FiberMate2. Ideal for diffuse reflectance analysis of samples up to 1.5 m away from the spectrometer. A digital imaging system is also available for photographic documentation of the sample.

The Video MVP from Harrick Scientific features a horizontal sampling surface with an active sampling area of less than 500 µm in diameter on its monolithic diamond. This makes it ideal for infrared spectroscopy measurements of extremely hard samples, abrasive powders, fibers, beads and even corrosive materials. The video imaging system provides a real-time magnified view of the sample through the ATR crystal. This image can be seen on the built-in display or digitally captured for a permanent record.

Anasys Instruments has introduced the nanoIR platform that combines the nanoscale spatial resolution capabilities of atomic force microscopy (AFM) with infrared spectroscopy’s ability to characterise and identify chemical species.

ChemImage has been selected for $2 million of US defence funding for further development of the Eye-Safe Stand-Off Fusion Detection of chemical, biological, explosive and improvised explosive device threats. The system will combine multiple sensing technologies, including Raman and shortwave infrared chemical imaging.  www.chemimage.com

Applied Analytics has experienced double digit growth in 2009, with success in key markets such as Brazil, the US, Japan and the Persian Gulf.  www.a-a-inc.com

A.N. DaviesProfessor, SERC, University of Glamorgan, UK,Director, ALIS Ltd, and ALIS GmbH—Analytical Laboratory Informatics Solutions

Christmas is a time of giving and it is with great pleasure that we are able to report the news that Dr Michael Heise, a friend of many years both personally and of this column, has recently been awarded the title of Honorary Professor at the University of Applied Sciences of South-Westphalia in Iserlohn, Germany.1 Mike has been regarded for a long time as an “Internationaler Experte für Infrarot-Spektroskopie”, as the Iserlohn University of Applied Sciences put it on their press release!

PerkinElmer has announced a suite of hyphenated solutions for evolved gas analysis, providing laboratories ranging from pharmaceutical and polymer to academia and chemical, with solutions for enhanced safety and quality. Hyphenated technologies for EGA enable scientists to determine how materials respond to heat.

Espinosa Alonso, a chemist from Utrecht University, The Netherlands, used four different spectroscopic techniques to study catalysts in the course of their preparation: UV-vis-NIR-microspectroscopy, IR microspectroscopy, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and tomographic energy dispersive diffraction imaging (TEDDI). Whilst MRI and TEDDI are already frequently used in other research fields, but they are not commonly used to study the preparation of catalysts.

The winners of the 2010 Pittcon Awards include a good number of spectroscopists, and names that will be familiar to readers.

Trace gas spectroscopic detection has drawn much interest in recent years, as it both allows a better understanding of the molecular spectra of weak overtone transitions and in situ non-intrusive sensing of compounds at low concentration. However, recording a broadband spectrum within a very short measurement time and with high sensitivity remains a challenge. Now, scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics have recorded ultrasensitive absorption broadband spectra within tens of microseconds by combining cavity enhancement and frequency comb spectroscopy.

James A. Calladine and Michael W. GeorgeSchool of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK. E-mail: Mike.George@nottingham.ac.uk

Often, chemists are interested in the most efficient way of converting our starting materials into the desired product. A huge number of reactions proceed via the production of intermediate species, see Scheme 1, which are usually short-lived and difficult to detect. Such intermediates are considered to be of great importance because it is their reactivity which can determine the outcome of a reaction and, hence, the efficiency with which the final product is made. This can have widespread importance across the whole of chemistry, ranging from ­pharmaceutical and organic synthesis to catalysis and materials chemistry.

New spectra, obtained with the SPIRE, PACS and HIFI instruments of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Herschel Space Observatory during the performance verification phase, have been released by ESA and the instrument teams. Taken together with earlier images the observatory is now on the way to demonstrating that the promised imaging and spectroscopic capabilities are being met.

A2 Technologies has extended the educational institution pricing programme on its ML spectrometer system until 31 March 2010, which offers a 40% discount on the list price. www.a2technologies.com

Fibre Photonics Ltd, specialist manufacturer of mid-infrared fibre optic cables and immersion probes, have opened a sales, engineering and applications facility in Germany’s largest technology park at Adlershof, in Berlin. www.fibrephotonics.com

The Sadtler ATR of Controlled and Prescription Drugs is a new database from Bio-Rad Laboratories containing 1161 ATR-IR spectra of controlled and prescription drugs and steroids.