Horizon Technology Inc – Expand Your Horizon

EPA Methods and the Use of Drying Techniques

Do you ever tire of using sodium sulfate to dry your extracts? I know I do. That is why, whenever I get the chance to avoid using it, I do. The worst experience when using sodium sulfate is when you do not use enough of it, and the sodium sulfate reaches its maximum capacity leading to water breakthrough into your ‘what was supposed to be a dried extract.’ Then, you must dry the extract again with more sodium sulfate. When you are a high throughput lab, redoing steps is not ideal. Unfortunately, EPA Methods 525.2 and 525.3 require sodium sulfate drying as the drying technique, to name a couple, but not all EPA methods require sodium sulfate for drying. That is why when there is an alternative technique available and you are permitted to use it, why not use it?!

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The Hidden Dangers of Organic Solvents

“Our laboratory uses organic solvents every day. Should we be concerned about solvent exposure?”

I hear this question fairly often and the short and simple answer is: YES.

But if this were a simple yes/no question, I wouldn’t have anything else to say, and this would be the shortest blog post that’s ever been written.

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Which Media Type is Right for my Environmental Application?

In the world of solid phase extraction (SPE), the list of media that is available seems to be ever-growing. From polymeric stationary phases, to silica-based media, and even molecularly imprinted polymers specifically designed for target analytes. The possibilities seem endless. Luckily for us, most EPA methods specify which media type is required for analysis, but what about methods that don’t specify?

For the methods which don’t specify the media you must use, how do you select your media type?

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Reducing the Headache of Challenging Emulsions

Have you ever opened a jar of olives and noticed the shimmering liquid floating on the surface? Believe it or not, that liquid is actually residual oil that is given off by the olives themselves. Since the oil is less dense than the aqueous solution that the olives are stored in (olive brine), it floats to the top of the jar. This may not seem like a big concern to the typical olive consumer, however, olive manufacturers believe that too much oil in a jar is something that negatively affects the final product. For this reason, olive companies are putting effort and resource into finding a way to quantify the amount of oil in their final product.

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Oh No! Not Peanut Butter Too!

As a child, peanut butter was a staple in our household. It was an easy meal for us “latchkey kids” who would come home from school to an empty house, starving. I would grab the old Wonder Bread and whip together a thick, 2-inch peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich, head to the living room to watch the afternoon programs that my parents had prohibited like Dark Shadows.

Oh, the good old days!

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National Chemistry Week

If you’re like me, you’ve spent National Chemistry Week drinking from your coffee mug that’s shaped like a beaker, you’ve been cooking with the spices you store in test tubes, you’ve been wearing your t-shirts with periodic tables printed on them and you’ve been telling your best chemistry jokes.

Originally known as National Chemistry Day back in 1987, the American Chemical Society (ACS) created this even to bring awareness of the importance of chemistry in our day-to-day lives. The holiday has since been expanded to a full week and has been celebrated during the fourth week in October since 1989. To focus activities and celebrations for the holiday, the ACS assigns a theme each year. This year’s theme is “Chemistry is Out of This World!”

While National Chemistry Week runs from Oct 21-27, Mole Day is specifically celebrated on Oct 23 from 6:02 am to 6:02 pm. It’s a very specific window to celebrate the holiday, but there’s a reason. If you’re not sure what the reason is, write out the time and date using only numerical representation. Still scratching your head? Read on!

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