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Join our host and Inorganic Ventures Technical Director, Mike Booth, as he sparks insightful conversations with our panel of experts in Bench Boost, your go-to podcast for analytical chemistry enthusiasts. Together, they explore the realm of ICP, sharing tips and tricks and diving deep into all things analytical chemistry.
133 Episodes
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Send us Fan Mail This week on Bench Boost Mike explains why accurate pH measurement is more complex than it appears, highlighting the effects from temperature, ionic strength, calibration technique, probe condition, and sample chemistry. He reviews pH theory of hydrogen ion activity (not just concentration) and the logarithmic meaning of pH changes, then describes how a pH probe functions as an electrochemical cell. He details temperature impacts on solution pH and electrode response (Nernst ...
Send us Fan Mail This week on Bench Boost Mike shares practical tips for analyzing pharmaceutical samples at low concentrations for USP 232 elemental impurities, emphasizing that high dilution makes small contamination or carryover issues critical. He advises minimizing contamination through careful container selection (avoiding glass and using acid-leached LDPE or leached polypropylene), and outlines a typical leaching process using dilute nitric acid for seven days. He also stresses using h...
Send us Fan Mail This week Mike and Ashley explain the J value used in pharmaceutical elemental impurity testing to relate typical ICP concentration units to permitted daily exposure (PDE) limits reported in micrograms per day under USP <232> and ICH Q3D. They describe how J value accounts for both sample dilution factor and maximum daily dose, making results comparable to PDE requirements. They recommend preparing method standards at PDE limits for the relevant administration route and...
Send us Fan Mail This week Mike & Ashley review the standardized methods for elemental impurity analysis in pharmaceuticals: ICH Q3D, USP <232>, and USP <233>. ICH Q3D provides guidelines for testing up to 24 elements and emphasizes risk assessment but not detailed testing calculations; USP <232> sets elemental impurity limits; and USP <233> addresses sample preparation and analysis and relies on ICH Q3D concepts such as “J” concentrations (to be covered next week)...
Send us Fan Mail The Inorganic Ventures team members answer more listener questions relevant to trace analysis. They address low mercury recovery at 2 ppb, noting mercury instability in nitric acid, adsorption to plastic, options such as preparing in HCl or stabilizing with ~1 ppm gold. They explain detection limit calculations using calibration data and blank replicates & distinguish instrument vs method detection limits, with suggestions to improve precision and sensitivity via conditio...
Send us Fan Mail The Inorganic Ventures team answers listener questions focused on pharmaceutical elemental impurity analysis by ICP-MS. They explain why an indium internal standard becomes unstable in high-pH matrices due to insoluble hydroxide formation and how EDTA complexation can stabilize indium when used for iodine analysis. They discuss mercury washout problems caused by volatility, adsorption to sample introduction surfaces, memory effects, and redox/speciation, and emphasize proper ...
Send us Fan Mail This week on Bench Boost Mike, Autumn, Micah, and Josh discuss common ICP-OES/ICP-MS issues in mining analyses and how to troubleshoot them by separating sample-prep from instrument root causes. Key sample-prep problems include incomplete digestion of refractory minerals, loss of volatile analytes, spitting, and adsorption/instability during transfers. They review contamination before jumping into issues borne from instrument assays; covering the topics of matrix effects from...
Send us Fan Mail This week on Bench Boost Mike, Autumn, and Thomas dive deep into validation procedures for ICP-OES and ICP-MS methods. They discuss the importance of planning validation parameters early, understanding sample matrices & analyte levels, and achieving complete dissolution via appropriate digestions. They review the seven key validation parameters of accuracy, precision, detection limits, linearity, selectivity, robustness, and stability. They also outline best quality contr...
Send us Fan Mail This week on Bench Boost the team from Inorganic Ventures discusses avoiding precipitation during sample preparation. They review mining sample challenges including high concentrations of Ca, Fe, Al, & silicates, sulfate-rich matrices forming insoluble sulfates, and rare earth elements requiring a more acidic matrix. Thomas explains how hydrolysis leads to insoluble metal hydroxides and reviews prevention strategies. Liv outlines how to use Ksp and how temperature effects...
Send us Fan Mail This week on Bench Boost on team spotlights mining analysis challenges on ICP-MS due to high total dissolved solids, aggressive digestions, and low-ppb targets requiring interference control. They review ICP-MS interference types, giving examples such as ArO on Fe, and ArCl on As. The team explains how collision cell (helium KED) is used to reduce polyatomics and how reaction cell gases are used for mass-shifting analytes or interferences. Finally, they discuss triple-quad IC...
Send us Fan Mail This week on Bench Boost our team reviews special considerations for measuring lithium by ICP-OES and ICP-MS. They discuss common lithium sample types and preparation guidance. Autumn emphasizes the impact of high total dissolved solids (TDS) and easily ionizable elements (EIEs) causing plasma ionization-balance shifts and signal suppression for some sample types. Additional tips include selecting appropriate internal standards, choosing suitable emission lines, and avoiding ...
Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Bench Boost our team revisits method detection limits (MDLs) with a focus on why mining applications often produce higher MDLs than expected. Autumn contrasts instrument detection limits with method detection limits, which reflect real sample matrices, interferences, and method variability. Liv explains mining-specific drivers of elevated MDLs, including aggressive sample preparation and impacts from dilution and high total dissolved solids. Mike closes the...
Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Bench Boost, Mike, Autumn, and Thomas discuss the differences between axial and radial views when using ICP-OES instruments. The focus is on how each view will impact precision, sensitivity, detection limits, and more. Our team compares which view is more prone to background interferences and which better handles complex samples with high concentrations of total dissolved solids. The episode also covers the challenges of analyzing mining samples including c...
Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Bench Boost our team focuses the discussion on metal cyanide chemistry. The discussion revolves around how cyanide leaching is used in mining for extracting precious metals like gold and silver. Challenges and considerations for ICP analysis, including matrix matching, are highlighted, along with a brief review of safety protocols for handling cyanide. The episode details Inorganic Ventures' expertise in manufacturing customized and stable standards to ensu...
Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Bench Boost, our team reviews the challenges and solutions related to measuring Platinum Group Metals (PGMs) using ICP Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). We discuss issues like signal stabilization, sample preparation, and washout problems. They provide practical tips such as the importance of proper sample preparation, ensuring the correct use and aging of Aqua Regia, managing signal stabilization through appropriate tubing and rinse solutions, and effective stra...
Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Bench Boost our team discuss the intricacies of digesting and analyzing rare earth element ore samples. This week we cover challenges such as complex spectra, reaction chemistry, and the need for careful sample preparation. Different methods like fusion and acid digestion are explored for effectively getting rare earth elements into solution. The podcast also delves into instrumentation challenges using ICP-OES and ICP-MS, as well as the importance of calib...
Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Bench Boost our team compares the differences between ICP-OES and ICP-MS and their applications in the mining industry. They share insights on when to choose one technique over the other based on factors like detection limits, sample concentration, matrix effects, and throughput needs. ICP-OES is recommended for higher concentrations and robust applications, while ICP-MS excels in trace element analysis. They also advise on sample preparation and the benefi...
Send us Fan Mail This week on Bench Boost our team discusses the importance of custom certified reference materials (CRMs) in precision elemental analysis, particularly in the mining industry. This episode features a continuation of the previous week's discussion on matrix match standards, focusing on the benefits of using custom CRMs. Thomas, Ashley, Liv, and Mike explain how custom CRMs improve accuracy, efficiency, and reduce errors in analytical labs.
Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Bench Boost our team discusses the importance of matrix matching standards to samples in the mining industry. They explore the benefits and applications of using stock single element, and multi-element CRMs for accurate precision elemental analysis. The team delves into the challenges of matrix mismatches, particularly in complex, high-concentration acid and total dissolved solids samples, and offer practical tips for designing effective working standards. ...
Send us Fan Mail The week our team recaps the “Back to Basics” series on Bench Boost. They discuss topics covered in previous episodes, including pipetting, instrumentation, calibration standards, stability, solubility, lab math, detection limits, and plasma fundamentals. Liv highlights the importance of proper sample preparation and pipetting techniques. Thomas explains the selection of appropriate instrumentation like AA, ICP-OES, and ICP-MS, and the necessity of instrument tuning, calibrat...
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