LMS Volume 33 |ssue 4 | Page 26

26  LMS  Issue 4 | 2014 Education & Research Consistent Chromatography W ith an ever-increasing emphasis on the need to produce suitably skilled analysts and research scientists, Metrohm is proud to release its latest generation ion chromatography system. The 883 BASIC IC plus is ideal for Metrohm SA Contact: Ravi Issari Tel: 011-656-2686 Email: [email protected] universities and technikons who place emphasis on providing students with high quality training instruments. The 883 IC takes up very little bench space, yet still includes all the same intelligent IC features of more advanced professional IC’s. The system is controlled by MagIC Net™ Basic, which is custom-written software by chemists for chemists, and enables analyses in the ppm range. The low running costs and the unique 10-year warranty on the chemical suppressor results in the 883 IC having the best price/ performance ratio of this market segment. In addition to tertiary institutions, this system is also suitable for routine applications in the water, food and chemical industries. In certain cases where multiple analyses are required the 883 can be coupled to the 863 Autosampler, where 36 samples can be accommodated. The system can be also customised for anion or cation analysis. ⚛ Keeping Museum Specimens Fresh M useum specimens are frequently housed in industrial methylated spirits at solution strength of 70% to 80%. The alcohol concentration in the jars decreases considerably over time due to evaporation. Too low alcohol concentrations can result in fungal infestation of the specimens and osmotic fluctuations and allow bacteria to flourish in the jars. These conditions may also lead to degradation of the specimen’s DNA. Thus, regular checks on the percentage of alcohol in the jars are essential. Looking after 200-yearold specimens Using a glass hydrometer to measure ethanol concentration is tedious, timeconsuming and requires a minimum sample amount of 50ml. This makes it difficult to check many jars containing smaller specimens such as worms or spiders, which are housed in only 50 to 200ml of solution. • Stores results and allows for print • Displays results in other measuring units • EX certification (EX marking II 2 G EX ib IIC T4) for alcohol checks in EX-protected zones. ⚛ The portable density meter DMA 35 features: • Automatically determines and displays result in % v/v alcohol • Uses only 2ml of solution • Requires less than a minute for a measurement, including filling and cleaning Anton Paar Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd Contact: Andre van Zyl Tel: 011-021-5165/6/7 Email: [email protected] Precision Analysis M ilestone’s DMA-80 is a direct mercury analyser that uses the principle of thermal decomposition, amalgamation and atomic absorption. The DMA-80 can analyse both solid and liquid matrices with equal precision. All mercury is released from the sample through thermal decomposition. This eliminates the need for any sample preparation and, subsequently, purchasing, handling and disposing of hazardous chemicals. No sample preparation is required, thus the typical bottleneck in the analytical laborat