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Improving the Hermetic Seal on Windows
Richard Creighton, Moxtek
As a continuous improvement effort, Moxtek investigated the effects of plasma cleaning the metal mounts before attaching a window, and achieved around a 40% reduction in the diffusion of helium through the epoxy-to-mount interface.
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Boron Analysis in Glass Using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS)
Dr. Steve Buckley, TSI Incorporated
Boron is a light element that is easily measured using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) but is difficult to measure using alternative technologies. In these tests, a LIBS system was used to conduct boron analysis in glass as well as Ulexite and Colemanite, which are boron containing ores used as feedstock in the glass industry.
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EDXRF App Note: Sulfur and Chlorine in Oil
Scott Fess, Rigaku Corporation
Application note #1277 describes the analysis of sulfur and chlorine in oil. The method is suitable for measurements in crude oil, cutting fluids, and used oils with high chlorine content.
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Quantitative Analysis of Fluorine (9F) by EDXRF
Shimadzu
Many companies are beginning to use CFC substitutes and develop products for reducing the adverse effects of anti-perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). This note presents two analyses of these products and test specimens: (1) quantitation of fluorine-containing water repellent in fabric, (2) lower limit of detection of F in powder.
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Trace Level Analysis of Sulfur, Phosphorus, Silicon, and Chlorine in NMP Using the Agilent 8800 Triple Quadrupole ICP-MS
Naoki Sugiyama, Agilent Technologies
N-Methyl-2-Pyrrolidone (NMP) is a stable, water-soluble organic solvent that is widely used in the pharmaceutical, petrochemical, polymer science, and especially semiconductor industries. S, P, Si, and Cl are all challenging elements for quadrupole ICP-MS. However the Agilent 8800 Triple Quad ICP-MS, using the mass-shift method with the unique MS-MS mode, was able to achieve low BECs for all analytes, demonstrating the flexibility and capability of ICP-QQQ in solving the most difficult challenges in ICP-MS.
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A Comparative Study of Groundwater, ERM®- CA615, EPA Method 245.7 and ISO Method 17852, Using the CETAC QuickTrace™ M-8000 CVAFS
Jeff Forsberg, Brian Cook, and Sarah Price, CETAC Technologies
Groundwater analysis is a crucial part of environmental monitoring. Groundwater is one of the most vital natural resources. It is an essential source of drinking water; therefore its safety is critical. However, it can present many obstacles for the analyst. It is a powerful tool used to gather information regarding the ecosystem. Contamination, interferences, and sample preparation are a few of the major obstacles that can arise when monitoring mercury at this level. Mercury is prevalent through point source contamination that often comes from industry and bio-accumulation.
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Multi-Wavelength Confocal Raman Microscope for Non-Destructive Pharmaceutical Ingredient Analysis
Jack Qian and Lin Chandler, BaySpec
The characterization of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and its distribution and physical properties in commercial medicine is necessary in drug research and development process in the pharmaceutical industry. Among various analytical techniques employed for this purpose, Raman spectroscopy is gaining more popularity due to its advantages as non-destructive, non-invasive, fast spectrum acquisition in seconds, high reproducibility and so on.
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Polarized ATR Measurements of Uniaxially Drawn PET Film
Shimadzu
In contrast to the transmission method, in which evaluation can only be conducted two-dimensionally, polarized light measurement by the ATR method permits evaluation along the z-axis (thickness direction), in addition to the x-axis and y-axis. This application presents an evaluation of uniaxially drawn PET film using the polarized ATR measurement technique.
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Sorting Plastic Resins Using NIR Spectroscopy
Yvette Mattley, PhD, Ocean Optics
Near infrared spectroscopy is effective in sorting polymer resins, where chemical composition reveals more pronounced differences among the polymers, which are difficult to distinguish by size, shape and even color.
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Determination of Low Concentration Methanol in Alcohol by an Affordable High Sensitivity Raman Instrument
Duyen Nguyen and Eric Wu, Enwave Optronics, Inc.
Low concentration natural methanol exists in most alcoholic beverages and usually causes no immediate health threat. Nevertheless, it is possible to have natural occurring methanol in beverages with concentration as high as 18 grams per liter of ethanol; or equivalent to 0.72% methanol in 40% ethanol, in alcohol (1). Current EU regulation limits naturally occurring methanol to below 10 grams per liter of ethanol; or equivalent to 0.4% methanol in 40% ethanol.
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