Concentrating on Chromatography

He built a gas chromatograph and mass spectrometer small enough to fit in a carry-on suitcase, then hauled it up a 43-meter tower in 100-degree Alabama heat to catch invisible forest chemicals in real time.Austin "Augie" Dobrecevich, a PhD researcher at the University of Washington, joins Candi and David to break down how his ultra-fast GC captures a full chromatogram every single second, isomer-speciating the biogenic VOCs (like alpha-pinene, beta-pinene, and limonene) that trees release into the atmosphere. Those compounds don't just disappear; they react with ozone and each other, eventually seeding the massive summer thunderstorms that roll over the southeast.Augie walks through why traditional chemical ionization mass spec struggles to tell chemical isomers apart, how his fast GC front end solves that blind spot, and the engineering trade-offs required to make the whole system run on less power than a vacuum cleaner. The conversation also opens up into where this technology could go next, from oceanographic research to coral reef VOC sampling, and closes with a candid look at the patent process: provisional patents, university tech transfer offices, IP strategy, and the leap from writing research papers to pitching a business case.Whether you're deep into analytical chemistry or just curious how scientists are learning to read the invisible chemistry of a forest, this episode covers both the technical detail and the real story of turning a lab prototype into something the world might actually use.Guest: Austin DobrecevichHosts: Candi Gokey and David Oliva

Arielle Cocozza, National Technical PFAS Lead at ALS USA Environmental, joins David Oliva and Candi Gokey to break down the current state of PFAS analysis — from her unconventional path out of a physics degree into environmental chemistry, to standardizing PFAS methods across a national lab network.In this episode, Arielle explains what PFAS actually are and why their fluorine-carbon bonds make them so persistent, walks through LC-MS/MS vs. GC-MS/MS selection for different PFAS classes (including fluorotelomer alcohols and volatile fluorocarbons), and discusses column chemistry choices like C18 and pentafluorophenyl phases. The conversation dives deep into 6PPD-quinone — the tire-wear-particle degradation product linked to coho salmon die-offs — and how EPA fast-tracked Draft Method 1634 in response. Arielle also covers the Total Oxidizable Precursor (TOP) assay, EPA's new ultra-short direct-injection Method 1633/563 workflows, sample volume miniaturization, automation trends in extraction, and the patchwork of state-by-state PFAS regulations on food packaging and biosolids ahead of federal rulemaking.

Mauricio Caraballo, PhD, director of the MSCollaboratory at UC San Diego, joins Candi Gokey and host David Oliva to unpack how untargeted LC-MS/MS metabolomics reveals hidden chemistry in coral reefs, fish, and ocean water. They dig into molecular networking, GNPS, and how free mass spec training is helping marine scientists worldwide analyze samples they couldn't otherwise decode.Links: mscollaboratory.ucsd.edu | Mauricio Caraballo: linkedin.com/in/mauricio-caraballo-4b5577176

Mechanical engineer Mason Chilmonczyk, PhD (Andson Biotech) joins host David Oliva to explain why sample prep — not the mass spec itself — is the biggest bottleneck in LC-MS and native MS workflows. Mason breaks down the DynaChip, a microfluidic device that shrinks hours of buffer exchange into seconds, and shares how "democratizing" mass spec is opening the door for cell therapy manufacturers to catch analytical blind spots that traditional workflows miss. A must-listen for anyone working in native mass spec, biopharma analytics, or cell therapy development.

Dr. Emanuela Gionfriddo, Associate Professor of Chemistry at the University at Buffalo, joins host David Oliva to explore solid phase microextraction (SPME), green analytical chemistry, and PFAS analysis. Trained in Professor Janusz Pawliszyn's lab at the University of Waterloo — where SPME was invented — she shares how deep SPME theory reshaped her research and now drives her lab's work on environmental and biological chemistry.In this episode, Emanuela discusses how SPME complies with the 12 principles of green analytical chemistry, why her lab consistently produces the least waste in her department, and how biomimetic SPME devices using natural biopolymers like alginic acid and chitin reveal how pollutants bioaccumulate in the environment. She also covers her lab's PFAS research, including a surprising study testing mascara for PFAS contamination, the analytical challenges of volatile PFAS detection, and why field-deployable PFAS quantification isn't quite ready yet.Topics covered: SPME fundamentals, green analytical chemistry, PFAS detection, biomimetic extraction, mixed-mode sorbents, GC×GC for volatile PFAS, and emerging microplastics research.Connect with Dr. Emanuela Gionfriddo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emanuela-gionfriddo-60492659/Subscribe to Concentrating on Chromatography for more conversations with leading separation science researchers.