FACSS has announced the winners of the 2012 ANACHEM and Charles Mann awards: Peter Griffiths and Don Pivonka.

This Tony Davies Column is contributed by Karl Norris, known to many as “The father of near infrared spectroscopy”. He introduces his calculation method for fourth derivatives and shows how it can be used to extract instrument noise.

With the threat of climate change, understanding the workings of our atmosphere is of crucial importance. Ozone is the most important trace gas in the stratosphere and troposphere and it is monitored by both satellite-borne and ground-based instruments. Accurate knowledge of ozone absorption cross-sections is vital for this work and described in this article.

Thermo Fisher Scientific has launched two new complete solutions based on the Antaris II FT-NIR analyser, for feed and ingredient analysis in agriculture and flour and milling analysis in the food processing industry. The solutions set an industry standard for laboratory-based FT-NIR performance in a ready-for-plant package. Both pre-calibrated solutions rapidly analyse multiple components simultaneously without consumables, chemicals or disposable costs, saving both time and money. The company has collaborated with Aunir to incorporate its INGOT universal NIR calibrations into both analyser solutions, offering calibrated systems that are ready to use immediately. This provides a solution for monitoring key elements such as moisture, protein, ash, fat, fibre, starch and other nutritional and physical parameters. The new systems consist of the Antaris II FT-IR analyser with integrating sphere module and 5 cm or 12 cm sample cup spinner accessory, RESULT and TQ Analyst software packages and either INGOT level 4 Flour and Milling or Feed and Ingredient calibration package, enabling fast sampling and simultaneous wavelength measurement. The analyser provides internal, automatic sample collection, eliminating operator error and sampling variability.

Guided Wave has released the ClearView db, a commercially available dual beam photometric process analyser. Incorporating the dual-beam technology from their full spectrum analysers, the company offer an inexpensive, on-line analyser that is simple to operate and easy to maintain while delivery good results. It is suitable for making continuous chemical composition or colour measurements in stable process streams. The simple design can be configured with up to six analytical wavelengths over a wide spectral range of operation (from 400 nm to 2150 nm) and with one or two channels, with no moving optical components. In addition to the general purpose unit, there are two other enclosure options available as well as an optional turbidity port.

B&W Tek has introduced its enhanced series of TE-cooled, fibre-coupled, InGaAs array spectrometers—the Sol series—which offer extended spectral range and high-speed resolution options along with deeper TE cooling. All four spectrometers in the series have a USB standard interface for easy integration into OEM systems. The Sol 1.7's TE cooling has been upgraded from +5°C to–10°C for lower noise and more stability. It includes three new grating options, allowing for 18 additional configurations between 900 nm and 1700 nm with a resolution as low as 0.2 nm. Redesigned electronics enable this unit to operate with a standard 5 V DC power supply, making it more convenient for OEM integrators and end users. The Sol 2.2 and Sol 2.2A have also been upgraded with three new grating options which allow for eight additional configurations from previous models, extending the range of 900 nm to 2200 nm with higher spectral resolution, measuring less than 2.5 nm for the Sol 2.2

ProFoss from Foss NIRSystems is now available with the Vision software for pharmaceutical and chemical process applications. It provides non-destructive analysis of pharmaceutical and chemical products directly in the process line without bypass.

Tony (A.M.C.) Davies is again telling us to “Always look at the spectrum”. This time he uses an example from the development of a NIR spectrometer to demonstrate that one doesn’t really know what’s going on until one has “looked at the spectrum”.

Tea is harvested from the bud, the first leaf and the first three leaves up to a maximum of four leaves. Quality decreases from the bud down as the parts become older. This study looks at the use of NIR spectroscopy to determine optimal production using the harvested material.

Anaerobic digestion is a good solution to the joint problems of dealing with organic waste and producing “clean” energy. However, running the digesters at optimum performace is a complex business. NIR spectroscopy offers a solution to monitor a number of analytes within the reactor and in real time.

This article shows that NIR spectroscopy offers the potential for bioprocess manufacturing companies to limit the variability in the biological production process, thereby increasing the yield and reducing the number of errors.

This second Product Focus is on Molecular Spectroscopy, and a number of companies have provided information on their key products, their applications and features.

Tony (A.M.C.) Davies stresses the importance of always looking at the spectrum, even if you [think you] know there’s nothing to learn. He relates his experience with noise in NIR spectra and what he has learnt from it. He would like us all to examine spectra for abnormality before relying on automated methods.

As nanotechnology grows in importance, the need for rapid, easy and automated analytical methods to investigate new nanomaterials increases. Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy has the potential to replace numerous methods for the investigation of a wide range of nanostructured materials and with particular potential in the area of PAT.

Howard Mark was awarded the BS degree in chemistry from the City College of New York in 1963, and earned his MA degree in chemistry from the City University of New York in 1966. He was awarded the Ph.D. degree in physical chemistry from New York University in 1972. He remained at NYU as a research fellow, performing research in surface chemistry and in applications of the then-new field of FT-IR spectroscopy.

Axiom Analytical has announced the availability of its FDR-755 Extruder Access optical diffuse reflectance probes. Until now, the application of NIR to extrusion processes has been limited by the difficulty of gaining access to the material within an extruder. The new probe has been designed so that can be mounted in any of the ½-20 UNF pressure transducer fittings that are available on most polymer extruders. By using diffuse reflectance, the design has reduced the required penetration in the melt. It is, therefore, compatible with any size extruder and can be quickly attached without requiring modification to existing equipment. This makes it practical to use NIR spectroscopy for short-term analysis and troubleshooting as well as for continuous long-term polymer process monitoring.

Malvern Instruments has produced an application note entitled NIR chemical imaging for tablet deconstruction: a case study for solid dosage forms to demonstrate how data derived from reverse engineering of pharmaceutical tablets can aid the fight against counterfeit drugs. Using the SyNIRgi near infrared chemical imaging system, they have been able to collect data detailed enough to characterise the formulation and processes used to create individual dosages. Results can be compared to both the original manufacturer specifications and a database of known counterfeits.

Princeton Instruments have introduced several new cameras based on their eXelon back-illuminated CCD and EMCCD detector technology. The new sensors provide good photon detection capabilities across a wide spectrum from 200 nm to 1100 nm and are particularly beneficial for applications requiring enhanced sensitivity in the blue and near infrared regions. The new technology will be featured in the company's PIXIS and ProEM deep-cooled cameras and is available in several pixel-array formats: 1340 × 100 and 1340 × 400 CCD cameras for spectroscopy and 512 × 512 to 2048 × 2048 CCD cameras for spectral imaging. The new cameras will target a wide variety of applications in both the life sciences and physical sciences.

Foss NIRSystems is offering a new 12 mm BioProcess probe optimised for real-time in situ monitoring of mammalian cell culture growth media in bioreactors. With a variable pathlength that can be optimised for culture media, this novel design is autoclavable or sterilisable-in-place. The small diameter probe is designed for use in standard instrument ports in benchtop biorectors and can be adapted for scale up to pilot plant and manufacturing reactors. Real-time analysis of nutrients and metabolites will lead to optimised cell culture performance, increased cell viability and bioprocess understanding. Up to nine probes can be multiplexed to one Foss XDS Process Analytics NIR analyser, which can track key low concentration analytes in the culture growth media, enabling optimisation of the fermentation. Feedback control is available through OPC or digital protocols.

Hamamatsu Photonics has introduced the PMA-12, a combined spectrometer and photodetector offering a range of sensor options in an easy to use single unit. The completge sensor line-up, standard CCD, high-sensitivity back-thinned CCD and InGaAs are all cooled to ensure sensitivity across the full wavelength range from 200 nm to 2350 nm, with direct input through an optical fibre. The instrument comes with intuitive software for real-time measurements of standard characteristics such as emission, reflectance, transmittance and chromaticity, with the spectral response and wavelength data all being fully calibrated for the internal PMA-12 components.