Apparatuses and associated methods are described for the efficient evaluation of C1-containing substrates, and especially for such evaluation conducted locally, or on-site, at a prospective facility for implementation of a biological conversion process for desired end product using a C1 carbon source. The exact composition of a given, industrial C1-containing substrate, as well as the range in composition fluctuations, are generally difficult to reproduce at a remote facility (e.g., a laboratory or a pilot-scale or demonstration-scale process), as required for the accurate prediction/modeling of commercial performance to justify large capital expenditures for commercial scale-up.

A thermal desorption tube for chromatography and mass spectrometry analysis. The thermal desorption tube includes a sorbent and a plurality of focusing agents loaded at known, relative amounts onto the sorbent. Each focusing agent is a compound that chromatographically elutes within a retention time similar to a retention time of a target analyte and has a mass spectrum similar to a mass spectrum of the target analyte. The thermal desorption tube is configured to be further loaded with a sample having the target analyte.

We disclose a microfabricated device for both extracting and preconcentrating samples for gas chromatography analysis. The device includes a conduit with at least two sections and multiple ports which may be connected to multiple gas chromatography columns. The inner surface of the conduit may be coated with multiple sorbents which bind volatile analytes with different affinities. The sections of the conduit may be divided by a thermal barrier which inhibits heat transfer between sections. Consequently, each section may be independently heated to encourage desorption of volatile analytes. The disclosed device separates and concentrates volatile analytes into different pools according to their chemical and physical properties before they enter a gas chromatography column that is optimized for that pool. The device reduces the amount of heat and time needed to perform gas chromatography analysis as well as avoids the need for purified gas sources typically used for the moving phase.

A hand-held microfluidic testing device is provided that includes a housing having a cartridge receiving port, a cartridge for input to the cartridge receiving port having a sample input and a channel, where the channel includes a mixture of Raman-scattering nanoparticles and a calibration solution, where the calibration solution includes chemical compounds capable of interacting with a sample under test input to the cartridge and the Raman-scattering nanoparticles, and an optical detection system in the housing, where the optical detection system is capable of providing an illuminated electric field, where the illuminating electric field is capable of being used for Raman spectroscopy with the Raman-scattering nanoparticles and the calibration solution to analyze the sample under test input to the cartridge.

A method for a multistep analysis of a measuring program of a portable gas measuring device includes performing a factory setting of the portable gas measuring device, connecting a container having a known gas standard and performing a reference measurement, wherein a multidimensional reference measurement is recorded, selecting a measuring program for target materials from a list on the device, performing a measurement on a sample in dependence on the selected measuring program, wherein a multidimensional measured variable is recorded, automatically performing an analysis to identify at least one of the one or more target materials in the sample and the respective concentrations thereof, wherein the analysis is based on the multidimensional measured variable from the measurement on the sample, the multidimensional reference measurement for the gas standard, the values for the plurality of target materials or measuring programs, and the factory setting for the portable gas measuring device.

In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, a terpene-rich sample is prepared for terpene analysis using liquid chromatography via an extraction method that takes little time, uses minimal external equipment, and permits direct injection of extracted terpenes into a liquid chromatography instrument for analysis. An embodiment of the invention involves preparing a terpene-containing sample for analysis by liquid chromatography by liquid extraction; heating the liquid extract in a vial that contains a filter medium or solvent; collecting the terpenes in the medium by the vapor pressure forced through the filter from heating; and eluting the collected terpenes into a vial or directly into a chromatography injector.

The automated sampling system has a water tight case that encloses a testing instrument. In the preferred embodiment, the testing instrument is a field-portable ion chromatography instrument designed to test water samples. In operation, a controller directs a syringe pump to draw fluid from outside the system through a specialized filter with a continuous flow lower reservoir. When directed by the controller, the syringe pump then injects the sample water into a testing portion of the field-portable ion chromatography instrument.

Embodiments of an apparatus including a front-end pre-concentrator module including an inlet, an outlet, and at least one valve to control flow through the inlet, the outlet, or both. The apparatus includes a back-end pre-concentrator module including an inlet, an outlet, and at least one valve to control flow through the inlet, the outlet, or both, and also includes a gas analysis module having an inlet and an outlet and including a gas chromatograph having an inlet and an outlet. The outlet of the front-end pre-concentrator and the outlet of the back-end pre-concentrator are coupled to the inlet of the gas analysis module. Other embodiments are also disclosed and claimed.

The automated sampling system has a water tight case that encloses a testing instrument. In the preferred embodiment, the testing instrument is a field-portable ion chromatography instrument designed to test water samples. In operation, a controller directs a syringe pump to draw fluid from outside the system through a specialized filter with a continuous flow lower reservoir. When directed by the controller, the syringe pump then injects the sample water into a testing portion of the field-portable ion chromatography instrument.

A portable spectroscopy analysis tool tests food for herbicides, pesticides, growth hormones, carcinogens, and other materials. Due to the broad range of herbicides, pesticides, growth hormones, carcinogens, and other materials which may be subjects of concern for the user, and the immediate need for accurate test results based on a small sample, the tool preferably employs gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Alternate embodiments, employing alternate methods of chromatography such as liquid chromatography (LC), are contemplated. The user dissolves a small shaving of a food sample into a volatile solvent, such as alcohol, and dips a test strip into the resulting solution. The strip is then inserted into an aperture which is provided on the top surface of the tool, and a visual display provides a chemical analysis of the sample within seconds.