April 13th, 2006 - Volume 1 Issue 4

Thermo Electron Corp., a leading manufacturer of analytical instrumentation, has released a new catalog for scientists analyzing food and drink samples. The catalog provides both Raman and FT-IR spectral libraries for a large collection of compounds. Industry-specific compounds such as those for petroleum, food, and fragrance production are included. The catalog will help scientists analyzing unknown samples in the lab. For more details on the catalog and an associated database with thousands of spectra, read this news story.

Jordan Valley's new RoHS Analyzer provides fast quantitative analysis of many electrical and electronic components to determine the precise level of restricted substances. It analyzes elements in alloys, paper, circuit boards, resins, and coatings; measures lead in solder for Pb-free electronics requirements; and determines levels of chlorine and bromine in plastics.

The CombiFlash® Companion® personal flash chromatography system can be controlled or monitored from anywhere, using any internet connection with Microsoft Windows® Explorer. It can even send you an e-mail notification when your separation is done. Learn more about Teledyne Isco here.

Agilent Technologies is offering contestants a chance of winning their choice of a triple-quadrapole or time-of-flight liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer in an easy-to-enter contest. Simply go to their entry form and let them know your interests. It may pay handsomely.

Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have developed a technique called "frequency comb" spectroscopy that offers real-time analysis of atomic structure, dynamics, and quantity using minuscule gas quantities. Described in the March 17 issue of Science magazine, the technique promises to offer a powerful combination of broad spectral range and fine resolution. This NIST press release provides more details.

Thermo Electron has introduced two new detectors to enhance its Finnegan Surveyor™ Plus™ HPLC product line. The detectors handle refractive index and fluorescence — extending the range of applications the products can handle. Look here for details.

Removing both suspended solid particles and dissolved gases, the FG-356 filter from Shelf Scientific screws directly onto a standard solvent bottle. The filter can handle as much as one gallon (3.78 liters) of solvent without refilling. Complete details are available from the company's product page.

Designed for hazardous applications, the HygroClip® Ex probes provide combined measurement of humidity and temperature when used together with any HygroFlex transmitter. The probes can also be factory configured for use without a transmitter. Find out more about Rotronic Instrument Corp.

GOW-MAC's patented Discharge Ionization Detector (DID) is sensitive to compounds in the ppb range. The DID uses an electrical discharge in helium to generate photos in the ultraviolet region of the light spectrum with sufficient energy to ionize all compounds.

Nanometrics has successfully applied the technique of optical critical dimension, or scatterometry, to the measurement of sub-0.1 micron mask lithography. The company has announced its line-profiling and related capabilities here as well as described the techniques used in more detail.

YSI Temperature, a maker of thermal metrology equipment, has created a new Web site designed expressly for engineers. The company listened to the engineering community and created the site to offer the kind of technical information users asked for. Take a look at the new Web site here.

Renishaw is offering current users of the HP5528 and HP5529 laser calibration systems a chance to upgrade to Renishaw's ML 10 Gold Standard product at a significant savings. The company will offer a substantial trade-in allowance for the HP equipment and a 3-year warranty on the replacement system. The full program is described in this press release.

The Puma test instrument from Advanced Integration now offers built-in calibration that is traceable to national standards. The Puma instrument handles a wide variety of digital, analog, and optical test functions for field-deployed equipment. For a detailed report about the new calibration functions...

Foundrax can manufacture special portable Brinell hardness testers for virtually any application. Examples made-to-date include chain adaptor hardness testers for very large components and portable railway track testers, amongst others.

Honeywell's HIH-4000 Series Humidity Sensors offer instrumentation-quality RH sensing performance in a competitively priced, solderable SIP package. Designed specifically for high-volume OEM users. Ideally suited for low drain, battery operated systems.

Want to increase your calibration skills but don't have time to go to school? Consider training at home with the Calibration and Test Equipment online training series from the Instrument Society of America. The series offers topics including instrument calibration and primary standards. More information is available from the ISA™ training Web site.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology regularly offers training in the field of metrology, both in its home facilities and at conferences. Training from basic to advanced skill levels are addressed, and typical courses take one week to complete. A complete description and schedule for 2006 are available at the NIST Web site.

After years of difficult technical training and hard-won experience, the disparity between metrology and marketing pay rates can seem unfathomable. Here, at last, is a scientific explanation... sort of.

After being out of print for nearly a quarter century, the classic Experimentation and Measurement by Dr. W. J. Youden of the National Bureau of Standards is now available online from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The complete text is reproduced here in PDF format for your review.

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