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COLUMNS

• THE BASELINE
  The Original Scientific Instrument
  After due consideration in his copious free time, columnist David Ball comes to the conclusion that the world's original scientific instrument was the clock. This might provoke a question: What does it have to do with spectroscopy? The answer might surprise readers.
  David W. Ball

• FOCUS ON QUALITY
  Validation of Spectrometry Software: Applying an Integrated Approach to Equipment Qualification and Computerized System Validation
  Columnist Bob McDowall takes an NIR spectrometer through the process outlined in his November column, in which he suggested an integrated approach to equipment qualification and computerized system validation for spectroscopy systems.
  R.D. McDowall

ARTICLE

• End of the Spectrum: NIR Speaks a Second Language
  Spectroscopy editor Brian Johnson discusses how, by using near-infrared spectroscopy to examine the human brain's higher cognitive capacities, researchers at Dartmouth College have discovered areas in the brain that indicate bilingualism. Their goal is to unravel the mystery of how a bilingual person enhances the brain's language centers as opposed to a monolingual person.
  Brian Johnson

DEPARTMENTS

• Editor's Letter
• News Spectrum
• 2006 Editorial Index
• Directory of Associations
• Calendar

COLUMNS

• MOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY WORKBENCH
  An Ode to Traceability and Calibration Interval
  Guest author Art Springsteen discusses standards for reflection measurements and the issues surrounding this topic.
  Emil Ciurczak

• FOCUS ON QUALITY
  Validation of Spectrometry Software: A Suggested Integrated Approach to Equipment Qualification and Computerized System Validation
  Columnist Bob McDowall proposes an integrated approach to the combined issue of equipment qualification and computerized system validation for spectrometers that combines the qualification, day-to-day calibration, and maintenance of the instrument with the validation of the software for a system's intended purpose.
  R.D. McDowall

ARTICLES

• High-Throughput Analysis of Pharmaceutical Tablet Content Uniformity by Near-Infrared Chemical Imaging
  The authors demonstrate the use of NIR-CI for simultaneous measurement of content uniformity for multiple tablets and discuss some advantages of this approach.
  Eunah Lee, Wei X. Huang, Patrick Chen, E. Neil Lewis, and Richard V. Vivilecchia

• Raman Spectroscopy for Cancer Diagnosis
  Raman spectroscopy is a promising new tool for noninvasive, real-time diagnosis of tissue abnormalities. The authors show evidence of its application for cancer diagnosis in four distinct tissue types: skin, breast, gastrointestinal tract, and cervix.
  Matthew D. Keller, Elizabeth M. Kanter, and Anita Mahadevan-Jansen

DEPARTMENTS

• News Spectrum
• Products
• Calendar
• Classified Directory
• Ad Index
• End of the Spectrum

COLUMNS

• MASS SPECTROMETRY FORUMMOLECULAR
  Electron Ionization: More Ins and Outs Columnist Ken Busch continues his discussion of the EI source and how source design and operational details directly affect source performance.
  Kenneth L. Busch

• SPECTROSCOPY WORKBENCH
  Think Small: Low-Cost Optical Spectral Measurements for Chemical Sensing Guest author John Coates discusses a miniature spectral measurement system that operates as a full spectrum analyzer, a colorimeter, or a multichannel photometer in the form of a spectral engine.
  John Coates

ARTICLES

• Refractive Index and Thickness Analysis of Natural Silicon Dioxide Film Growing on Silicon with Variable-Angle Spectroscopic Ellipsometry
  The authors investigate the optical properties and thickness of natural SiO₂ thin films grown on silicon substrates simultaneously with a VASE system by choosing different angles of incidence and wavelength ranges.
  Yanyan Chen and Gang Jin

• A Timeline of Atomic Spectroscopy
  This timeline provides a short history of the experimental and theoretical development of atomic spectroscopy for elemental spectrochemical analysis.
  Volker Thomsen, Consultant, Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil

DEPARTMENTS

• News Spectrum
• Products
• Ad Index
• Calendar
• Classified Directory

COLUMNS

• THE BASELINE
  Photoacoustic Spectroscopy
  An unusual form of spectroscopy uses light and sound to probe the behavior of materials. Here is a brief introduction to photoacoustic spectroscopy.
  David W. Ball

• CHEMOMETRICS IN SPECTROSCOPY
  Limitations in Analytical Accuracy, Part I: Horwitz's Trumpet
  In the first part of this two-part series, columnists Jerome Workman, Jr. and Howard Mark discuss the limitations of analytical accuracy and uncertainty.
  Jerome Workman, Jr. and Howard Mark

FEATURE

• 33rd Annual FACSS Meeting
  Spectroscopy previews the 33rd Annual Meeting of the FACSS, to be held September 24-28 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
  Helen A. Castro

ARTICLES

• Chemically Selective Imaging with Broadband CARS Microscopy
  The authors rapidly acquire complete vibrational spectra in the fingerprint region using a single femtosecond laser for broadband coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy to image spatially variant compositions of condensed-phase samples.
  Allison G. Caster, Sang-Hyun Lim, Olivier Nicolet, and Stephen R. Leone

• New Developments in Wavelength-Dispersive XRF and XRD for the Analysis of Foodstuffs and Pharmaceutical Materials
  The authors discuss the benefits of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) for the determination of elemental nutrients in foodstuffs and X-ray diffraction (XRD) for the measurement and characterization of different compounds used in the pharmaceuticals industry.
  Ravi Yellepeddi and Robert Thomas

DEPARTMENTS

• News Spectrum
• Products
• Calendar
• Ad Index
• Classified Directory

BUYERS' GUIDE

• SPECTROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTATION/SPECTROMETER SYSTEMS
• OPTICS, ELECTRO-OPTICS, FIBER OPTICS, AND RELATED COMPONENTS
• SAMPLING/SAMPLE HANDLING
• SPECTROSCOPY SOFTWARE/HARDWARE/AUTOMATION PRODUCTS
• SPECTROSCOPY SERVICES
• GENERAL SCIENTIFIC EQUIPMENT AND ACCESSORIES
• PROCESS ANALYTICAL INSTRUMENTS
• BIOANALYSIS INSTRUMENTS

DEPARTMENTS

• PRODUCT INDEX
• MANUFACTURER DIRECTORY
• WEB SHOWCASE

COLUMNS

• MASS SPECTROMETRY FORUM
  Electron Ionization Sources: The Basics
  Columnist Ken Busch discusses the history of the EI source and how source design and operational details directly affect source performance.
  Kenneth L. Busch

• FOCUS ON QUALITY
  Validation of Spectrometry Software: Risk Analysis Methodologies for Commercial Spectrometer Software
  This month, columnist Bob McDowall takes a look at two alternative approaches for validation of spectrometry software.
  R.D. McDowall

FEATURE

• DXC 2006: The World's Leading Forum for X-Ray Materials Analysis
  Spectroscopy previews the upcoming 55th Annual Denver X-Ray Conference. Included are an outline of workshops, oral sessions, and posters scheduled to be presented.
  Helen A. Castro

ARTICLES

• Interelement Corrections in Spectrochemistry
  This tutorial reviews the mathematical models for dealing with interelement effects in optical emission and X-ray fluorescence spectrochemical analysis. Line overlaps and matrix effect corrections are examined.
  Volker Thomsen, Debbie Schatzlein, and David Mercuro

DEPARTMENTS

• News Spectrum
• Products
• Calendar
• Classified Directory
• Ad Index

COLUMNS

• THE BASELINE
  Light: Particle or Wave?
  The issue of whether light is a particle or a wave was an important historical debate. The actual answer is still unnerving to some people. Here, David Ball explores the history of this question and presents the modern interpretation of the nature of light.
  David W. Ball

• CHEMOMETRICS IN SPECTROSCOPY
  Connecting Chemometrics to Statistics - Part II: The Statistics Side
  In this month's installment of "Chemometrics in Spectroscopy," the authors again explore that vital link between statistics and chemometrics, this time with an emphasis on the statistics side.
  Howard Mark and Jerome Workman, Jr.

ARTICLES

• The 54th Annual ASMS Conference: A Review
  Spectroscopy editor Prachi Patel-Predd provides a wrap-up of the 54th ASMS Conference, held this year at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center in Seattle, Washington. Included are details of events, short courses, and all that was new and exciting at the show.
  Prachi Patel-Predd

• Analysis of Volatile Bacterial Metabolites by GC-MS
  Here the authors describe a new method for the identification of key volatile organic compound markers using mass spectrometry combined with gas chromatography.
  William L. Wood, Daniel J. Higbee, Melanie Gooldy, Scott Glogowski, Rich Fitzpatrick, Richard J. Karalus, Troy D. Wood, and David J. Mangino

DEPARTMENTS

• News Spectrum
• Products
• Calendar
• End of the Spectrum
• Classified Directory
• Ad Index

COLUMNS

• MOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY WORKBENCH
  Pittcon 2006 New Product Review
  Emil Ciurczak presents his review of the newest and most interesting products in the field of spectroscopy at the 2006 Pittcon Conference.
  Emil Ciurczak

• CHEMOMETRICS IN SPECTROSCOPY
  Connecting Chemometrics to Statistics - Part I: The Chemometrics Side
  This series of columns has been running for a long time, and some lon-time readers may recall that the original name was actually "Statistics in Spectroscopy." Here, the authors explore that vital link between statistics and chemometrics.
  Howard Mark and Jerome Workman, Jr.

ARTICLES

• Ecdysterone Determination of Niuxi by Near-Infrared Diffuse Reflection Spectroscopy
  Here, the authors determine the content of ecdysterone in the Chinese herb Niuxi using near-infrared diffuse reflection spectroscopy and the partial least squares correlation. Compared to existing methods, they contend that their approach is easier, quicker, cheaper, and less environmentally harmful.
  Yan Bai, Dong Wang, Zhen-Xi Yu, Yong Jia, Feng-Yun Zhu, Dong-Qing Wei, Wei-Zhu Zhong, and Kuo-Chen Chou

• The Laws of Spectrochemistry
  In this article, the authors discuss the basic premises that underlie the science of spectrochemistry, which has been humorously referred to as a "black art" by some.
  Volker Thomsen and Debbie Schatzlein

DEPARTMENTS

• News Spectrum
• Products
• Classified Directory
• Ad Index

COLUMNS

• FOCUS ON QUALITY
  Validation of Spectrometry Software: Critique of the GAMP Good Practice Guide for Validation of Laboratory Computerized Systems
  This month's "Focus on Quality" presents a critique of the GAMP Good Practice Guide. And while columnist Bob McDowall finds much to recommend in the guide, he finds much more cause for concern.
  Robert D. McDowall

• MASS SPECTROMETRY FORUM
  It's All About Timing
  In addition to expressing his longing for a Star Trek "tricorder," columnist Ken Busch shows that the core processes of ionization, ion dissociation, and mass determination in mass spectrometry are all completed in very short times compared to the overall length of the analysis.
  Kenneth L. Busch

ARTICLES

• Increasing the Enhancement of SERS with Dielectric Microsphere Resonators
  Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a widely studied technique capable of adding single-molecule detection capability to the rich information provided by Raman spectroscopy. In this article, the authors show an additional system gain of more than two orders of magnitude to SERS by using a dielectric microsphere resonator to capture and excite the target system.
  Ian White, Hesam Oveys, and Xudong Fan

• NIR Versus Mid-IR: How to Choose
  Here, the author compares near-infrared to mid-infrared as an analytical tool in process management. He weighs the pros and cons of both spectral regions and suggests general applications for which one or the other is better suited.
  Paul Wilks

DEPARTMENTS

• Products
• Calendar
• Classified Directory
• Ad Index

COLUMNS

• MOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY WORKBENCH
  From Laboratory Technique to Process Gas Sensor: The Maturation of Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy
  Tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) has evolved from a laboratory specialty technique to the foundation for highly sensitive and specific gas-phase sensors for the process environment. This article discusses two recently developed products, a portable trace gas monitor, and a water vapor flow sensor.
  Mark Druy, Guest Author

• THE BASELINE
  Fiber Optics
  Getting light from one place to another is a key task in any spectroscopic method. Sometimes we send light through (mostly) empty space using mirrors or lenses, and sometimes we use things called fiber optics. This installment of "The Baseline" tackles fiber optics.
  David W. Ball

ARTICLES

• 2006 Salary Survey:
  Summary
  Prachi Patel-Predd

• Spectroscopy Demand Expected to Outpace the Industry in 2006
  Realistically, 2005 was a good year for the laboratory analytical and life science instrument industry. Although growth has moderated from that experienced in the 1990s, a general rebound in worldwide industrial demand, and continued spending for life science and strong growth in Asia and North America drove instrument systems and aftermarket sales. Similar to last year, 2006 should be a year of healthy sales growth as global economic conditions support continued market expansion.
  Lawrence S. Schmid

DEPARTMENTS

• Products
• Calendar
• Classified Directory
• Ad Index

ARTICLES

• ICP-MS Speciation Analysis: Three Roles of Selenium
  The authors discuss how ICP-MS can be used to better undertsand the element's three distinct roles.
  Katie DeNicola Cafferky, Douglas D. Richardson, and Joseph A. Caruso

• Infrared Tissue Imaging Applications Growing in Biomedical Research and Diagnosis
  IR imaging provides a new tool for disease detection, revealing compositional and structural information in tissue previously not available with contrast staining.
  Sharon Williams

• Measurement of the Dynamic Rates of Association and Dissociation of EGF with its Cell-surface Receptor in Intact Cells
  Here, the authors utilize stopped-flow fluorescense spectroscopy to take a look at ligand binding to epidermal growth factor receptors.
  Kristin B. Whitson, Albert H. Beth, and James V. Staros

• Analysis of Fructose, Glycine, and Triglycine Using HPLC UV-vis Detection and Evaporative Light-Scattering Detection
  The development of a method for the simultaneous determination of glycine, triglycine, and frutcose using UV-vis and ELSD is described.
  H.A.J.M. Bevers, R. Wijntje and A.B. de Haan

• Influence of Na⁺ and K⁺ Concentration in Solvents on Mass Spectra of Peptides in LC-ESI-MS
  The concentration dependent influence of Na⁺ and K⁺ ions on mass spectra of peptides is shown with human gastrin as a model peptide.
  Joachim Emmert, Markus Pfluger and Fabian Wahl

COLUMNS

• TECH NOTE
  Process Monitoring: In-line, At-line, or Slip-stream?
  Paul Wilks addresses a question that arises when PAT moves out of the laboratory and into the plant and to the process stream itself.
  Paul Wilks

• MOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY WORKBENCH
  New Technologies for Process Analytical and Quality Control Applications: Compact Raman
  In the first of a series of three articles, guest author John Coates describes a new, compact handheld Raman instrument.
  John Coates

• MASS SPECTROMETRY FORUM
  Mass Calibration: Special Needs for Proteomics
  The final installation of Kenneth L. Busch's four-part series on mass calibration covers the "new generation" attributes that have become apparent.
  Kenneth L. Busch

DEPARTMENTS

• From the Editor
• News Spectrum
• Product Resources
• Calendar
• End of the Spectrum
• Ad Index

ARTICLES

• Meeting Requirements of the EPA Contract Laboratory Program ILM05.3 Using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry: An Update
  This report demonstrates that it is possible to meet and exceed EPA "statement of work" requirements using ICP-MS.
  Bill Spence, Andrew Walder, and Isaac Brenner

• Efficient Raman Lasing in Tapered Silicon Waveguides
  The authors review the operating principles of a silicon Raman laser and show that by introducing a longitudinal variation of the waveguide width in the cavity, the lasing efficiency can be increased significantly.
  Michael Krause, Hagen Renner, and Ernst Brinkmeyer

• Mars Express Finds Evidence of Liquid Water on Mars
  Since the discovery of gullies on Mars in 2000, NASA has endeavored to reimage areas known to have them. Now for the first time, using before and after images taken of the same region on Mars, a dune gully flow is shown to have happened very recently.
  Barry E. DiGregorio

COLUMNS

• THE BASELINE
  Modulators
  Some types of spectroscopy work better if the intensity of the light source increases and decreases in a regular pattern. Such a varying signal is called modulated, and here, the author explores the devices that perform this function.
  David W. Ball

• CHEMOMETRICS IN SPECTROSCOPY
  Linearity in Calibration: Quantifying Non-Linearity, Part II
  At this point in our series dealing with linearity, we have determined that the data under investigation do indeed show a statistically significant amount of nonlinearity, and we have developed a way of characterizing that nonlinearity. Our task now is to come up with a way to quantify the amount of nonlinearity, independent of the scale of either variable, and even independent of the data itself.
  Howard Mark and Jerome Workman, Jr.

DEPARTMENTS

• News Spectrum
• Product Resources
• Calendar
• End of the Spectrum
• Ad Index