A pre-analysis treatment device usable for an amino acid, organic acid, and glucide includes an ion-exchange unit configured to load a test sample on a solid-phase cartridge S having a strong ion-exchange resin phase, to allow the strong ion-exchange resin phase to adsorb a predetermined organic compound, then supply a dehydration solvent to dehydrate the strong ion-exchange resin phase, and a derivatization unit configured to feed a predetermined amount of the derivatization reagent to the dehydrated strong ion-exchange resin phase to allow the derivatization reagent to retain for a predetermined time period, thereby trimethylsilylating the organic compound adsorbed on the strong ion-exchange resin phase, and simultaneously desorbing the trimethylsilylated organic compound from the strong ion-exchange resin phase, and then supply a push-out solvent to push the trimethylsilylated organic compound desorbed, out of the solid-phase cartridge S. The device enables at least one organic compound selected from amino acids, organic acids and glucides contained in a test sample to be derivatized and collected easily in a short period of time, and automation of the pre-analysis treatment.

With a water, particulate and fibre mixture, a method of quantifying fibre content may include providing a sample of the mixture, filtering the sample to produce a particulate and fibre mixture, burning the particulate and fibre mixture to produce a fibre sample, and dissolving the fibre sample to produce a fibre solution. The fibre solution may be analyzed to determine an elemental content of the fibre solution. The elemental content may be compared to a known elemental content to estimate the fibre content.

The disclosure provides improved materials and methods for optically clearing biological tissue that is subsequently used for deep tissue imaging analysis. Also provided is a description of a microscopic image acquisition methodology in which imagery of intact tissues are acquired to rapidly acquire microscopy data on a whole-organ scale to maximize cost effectiveness for biological microscopy and minimize time spent performing such analysis.

An apparatus for processing a sample using microwaves comprises: a reaction vessel comprising a chamber which accommodates a refrigerant and a sample and an injection port through which a gas is injected; a microwave source which irradiates microwaves into the chamber; a connector which carries the gas injected through the injection port; and a gas supplier which is located in the chamber and injects the gas carried by the connector to a refrigerant in the chamber. The connector may comprise a gas carrying portion located above the level of the refrigerant in the chamber.

An instrument system for acid digestion is disclosed. The instrument includes a heating block, a reaction vessel formed of a polymer that is resistant to acid and other chemical attack at temperatures above 150° C. and that has a structure (thickness, etc.) sufficient to withstand pressures above atmospheric, a metal sleeve surrounding the polymeric reaction vessel, and an opening in the block that has a cross-section corresponding to the cross-section of the metal sleeve.

The invention proposes preparing biological samples for spectrometry which contain cell structures and/or whole cells of human or animal origin (e.g. thin human and animal tissue sections) or prokaryotes (e.g. microorganisms), and which require constant relative humidity, in a temperature-controlled gas volume whose humidity is determined by a saturated substance solution, for example a suitable salt solution. The invention exploits a physico-chemical phenomenon called “deliquescence”, which manifests itself by keeping the relative humidity above the saturated substance solution constant with a high degree of precision when a specified temperature is maintained. Pure succinic acid exhibits deliquescence at approx. 99% relative humidity, for example. Since an enormous variety of deliquescent salts and other suitable substances are available, it is possible to find the suitable substance for almost any desired relative humidity, with adjustment of the temperature, where necessary.

Described herein are methods to determine an amount of shale inhibitor in drilling fluids used in wellbore operations. In some cases, methods include receiving a sample of a drilling fluid, removing solids from the sample to produce a solids-free fluid, contacting the solids-free fluid with an anion to produce a precipitate in a test solution, and determining an amount of an amine-based shale inhibitor within the sample by measuring the amount of the precipitate in the test solution.

A method for detecting material in a sample using an ICP instrument includes preparing the sample for analysis by the ICP instrument using hydrogen gas. For example, hydrogen gas can be generated by initiating a hydride generation reaction with the sample. Further, hydrogen gas can be introduced to a component part of the sample. For instance, hydrogen gas can be added to an injector gas in a spray chamber of the ICP instrument.

The present disclosure relates to a kit for sample preparation, the kit including a solid support surface with a polymer coating covering the solid support surface, wherein the polymer coating reduces undesired interactions between the sample and the solid support surface, a buffer comprising arginine and methionine, and a vessel for containing the solid support surface and the buffer.

The present disclosure relates to a system for separating a sample including a device and a positive pressure source. The device can include a housing with a proximal end having an interface and a proximal end opening, a distal end opening opposite the proximal end opening, and an interior wall defining an interior of the housing; a bottom frit connected to the interior wall, extending across the interior of the housing, and located proximately to the distal end to minimize sample loss; and a resin disposed within the interior of the housing between the bottom frit and the proximal end. The positive pressure source can connect to the interface of the proximal end to apply positive pressure to the sample. A controller can control the applied positive pressure to the sample via the positive pressure source according to a relationship between the bottom frit, the resin, and the positive pressure.