Pragmatic path between targeted and non-targeted ultra-trace analysis

摘要

With pressure increasing on spectroscopists to deliver results at ever lower limits of detection in often increasingly wider, more "impure" sample types, the recent 6th Workshop in Extractables and Leachables in Hamburg provided a great opportunity to hear about the developments and trends in the regulatory environment. Delegates could also swap experiences with spectroscopists from different types of business backgrounds. In this column, the focus will be on a combination of the intelligent use of analytical data, in silico chemical structure processing and instrumental hardware development to support us in dealing with ever more peaks that need analysing as they appear out of ever lower levels of background noise. It is also a pleasure to produce a column with an ex-colleague from both ISAS-Dortmund and Waters-especially as Christoph has moved over to organic analysis from the dark side of elemental analysis!