MODERN laboratory equipment is, on the whole, so well designed and engineered that we might take its performance for granted. Instruments have developed to the point where they offer better resolution and better reliability than ever before, provided they are…
Brochure covers serological pipettes and controllers
PORVAIR Sciences has published a new brochure detailing its range of serological pipettes and pipette controllers. It describes these products as high-quality disposable pipettes that can be used for a variety of applications. The colour-coded range includes all the popular…
96-channel pipette demonstration now online
THE FULL benefits of the Viaflo 96 handheld electronic pipette are demonstrated in a new four-minute video, now available on the LabHomepage YouTube channel (and embedded below). Integra says the Viaflo 96 facilitates the fast and precise transfer of 96…
Stable phosphoramidites for oligonucleotide synthesis
TWO NEW new modified phosphoramidites have been launched to complement Link Technologies’s oligonucleotide synthesis support portfolio. Triplex, antisense, and gene targeting research may benefit from the company’s new RNA-type phosphoramidites, which it says provide nuclease resistance and stability. New ethyl…
This pH accessory turns an iPhone into an ipHone
SMARTPHONES and tablets are finding increasing uses in the laboratory, replacing the traditional lab notebook in data collection, providing a handy portable display for methods and protocols, and even becoming scientific instruments in their own right. This latter application usually…
Putting the heat into crystallisation method development
A CUSTOM Asynt dry heating block is currently in use at the Wilson structural chemistry research group at the University of Bath, UK, is a project to simplify and accelerate crystallisation method development. The researchers are selectively controlling polymorph formation,…
Turn your optical microscope into a Raman spectroscope
MOST major brands of optical microscope can now have Raman spectroscopy capability added to them through the Apollo Raman microspectrometer from Craic Technologies. This additional instrument allows the collection of Raman spectra from microscopic or larger samples, allowing the specimen…
Mobile GC/MS accepts samples as liquid, solid, or vapour
SAID to be the only mobile gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (GC/MS) that can analyse samples introduced in solid, liquid, or vapour phase, the Griffin 460 also provides continuous direct air monitoring and has multiple applications in field work. Available from…
Syringe pump is first to promise constant pressure
HARVARD Apparatus says its new PHD Ultra CP syringe pump is the first of its kind to infuse fluids under constant pressure by automatically adjusting the flow rate. This constant-pressure delivery of fluids provides advantages for various experiments, it says,…
Fume hoods exceed international standards
A NEW range of ductless fume hoods from Air Science USA, the Purair 5 range, exceed OSHA, ANSI and all relevant international standards says the company. Available in three widths – 610, 915, and 1220mm (24, 36, and 48 inches),…
Looking for this year’s top lab automation developments
EACH year, Jala, the journal of laboratory automation, seeks the top 10 technological breakthroughs in the field in order to recognise their contribution. The Jala Ten embraces laboratory automation and robotics as well as a broad range of related technologies,…
New Sciflexarrayer has higher throughput
THE NEWEST version of Scienion’s Sciflexarrayer liquid handling robot delivers higher throughput and increased versatility, says the company, boosting its usefulness in multiplexed diagnostics and cellular screening. The new Sciflexarrayer S1 non-contact dispenser exploits the same drop-on-demand technology as previous…
Weekly news: a muppet of beakers and a skittle of Erlenmeyers
NEVER let it be said that we don’t like to have a little fun from time to time, here at the LabHomepage. This week we found ourselves hijacking our own Twitter feed when a casual remark about collective nouns took…
Lab kit collective nouns: the definitive collection
IT STARTED with an idle thought about what might be an appropriate collective noun for mass spectrometers, sparked by the announcement of another two new models from AB Sciex (as reported here). In the same way as we speak of…
New wavelengths for plug-and-play lasers
THE OBIS range of compact laser modules from Coherent has been extended with the addition of devices with outputs at 514nm and 552nm. Both deliver laser output power of 20mW, and says the company offer an optimum combination of beam…
Invisibility cloak promises spectroscopy on a chip (video)
WHILE the general media are agitated by the far-fetched possibilities of Harry Potteresque camouflage from today’s announcement of a so-called invisibility cloak, here at the LabHomepage we’re much more excited about the prospects for massively-multiplexed spectroscopy on a single chip…
Multiple sample vials in 96-well microplate footprint
COMBINING the benefits of individual sample vials with the handling advantages of the standard 96-well microplate format, JG Finneran’s new Snap Seal Vials and Snap Top Caps may appeal to many laboratories. An adaptation of the company’s existing vials and…
A mass of mass spectrometers
WE’RE not quite sure what the collective noun is for mass spectrometers, but we’re pretty sure they could use one down at AB Sciex’s headquarters. Coming hard on the heels of recent announcements of new ‘workhorse’ instruments the 4500 and…
Specimen cleaning in electron microscopy
A VITAL step in sample preparation before analysis by electron microscopy is the cleaning stage, in which all contaminants must be removed from objects under study. One common problem encountered at this stage is that the cleaning process can damage…
How to go fishing in the deep end of the gene pool
AN APPLICATION note now available from Oxford Gene Technology provides scientists with valuable guidance on the use of targeted probes to improve data quality in next-generation sequencing. The note, titled Fishing for variants in the deep end of the gene…
Assay plates have glass bottoms for better imaging
PORVAIR’s Krystal assay plates have an upper part made of polystyrene and a base plate made of a sheet of borosilicate glass, and says the company are proven to give higher performance for fluorescence assays, luminescence detection, scintillation counting, and…
Professional recognition for lab technicians
THE SOCIETY of Biology in the UK says that laboratory and science technicians will increase their employability and have a clearer route to career development through its new Technicians’ Register, launched this week. By joining the register, technicians can win…
LED microscope suits biomedical applications
A CONSTANT colour temperature without heat build-up is the main advantage of the LED illumination system used on the new Leica DM4000 B microscope, says the company. The cool and uniform light produced makes the instrument suitable for biomedical and…
Weekly news: In praise of the table-top show, plus free pipettes offer
IT’S all about pipettes this week. Well, not all about them, but these workhorses of the laboratory have been figuring strongly in my consciousness. One reason is that one of the early supporters of LabHomepage, Porvair Sciences, is making a…
Who needs the giant lab exhibitions? (video)
WE’RE just back from our visit to the Scientific Laboratory Show, and found that this smaller event on the laboratory exhibition circuit is every bit as appealing as the giant trade fairs found overseas. Held every two years at the…
Quantitative detection of carbonyl sulphide in the field
A NEW ultra-sensitive gas analyser which measures ambient air for carbonyl sulphide (OCS or COS), with simultaneous measurement of carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), and water vapour (H2O), has been launched by Los Gatos Research. The new OCS Analyser…
July 2012 workshop on portable molecular spectroscopy
ANALYTIK has announced a workshop at its new UK premises, in partnership with Agilent Technologies, on portable and handheld molecular spectroscopy. The free-to-attend event will be held on Tuesday 17 July 2012 at Analytik’s premises in Swavesey, Cambridge. Molecular spectroscopy…
Lab robots automate plant science at Danforth labs
A PRODUCTIVITY increase of 100 times, or 10,000 percent, is enough to make any laboratory manager sit up and pay attention. This is exactly what is being claimed for the installation of a customised Yeast 1 Hybrid automation system at…
XY stage for inverted microscopes gives better long-exposure stability
THE USE of integrated miniaturised ceramic linear drives makes the M-687 stage more compact and stable than traditional computer controllable microscope stages, says PI. The self-locking piezo linear motors and high resolution linear encoders deliver up to ten times the…
Save on reagents with these low dead-volume reservoirs
A NEW 10ml disposable multichannel reagent reservoir from Integra has a dead volume of just 650ul, which the company says translates into a significant saving in reagent costs. One side of the reservoir is fashioned into a spout, allowing users…