22 ANALYTICAL PROCEEDINGS, JANUARY 1988, VOL 25 Equipment News X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer The QX is a wavelength-dispersive instru- ment which can be fitted with up to 10 monochromators for the simultaneous determination of up to 10 elements. The element range is sodium to uranium, and each instrument offers the choice of vac- uum or helium atmosphere. Controlled by the IBM PC System 2, the QX has a number of dedicated application pack- ages (e.g., cement analysis) available. Oxford Analytical Instruments Ltd., 20 Nuffield Way, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 1TX. Software for Spectroscopy Further versions of Spectrafile infrared and ultraviolet software are announced so that most currently available spectromet- ers are now able to be interfaced. The latest release includes new spectrometers from Perkin-Elmer, Hitachi, Shimadzu, Kontron and Pye Unicam.Also announ- ced is a new analog interface, which allows users of Pye Unicam SP3 spec- trometers to interface directly with Spec- trafile without using the more costly RS232 interface. The new interface sup- ports scanning and re-plotting of spectra together with limited range scans, a “go- to” function and slewing of the monochro- mator. A new multi-component analysis routine allows the simultaneous quantifi- cation of up to 10 components in a complex mixture. For routine work, Cali- bration curve generation is allowed with up to nine standards possible. Heyden and Son Ltd., Spectrum House, Hillview Gardens, London NW4 2JQ. Software for Spectrometry LAB40 is a data processing software option consisting of four modules: for computer - computer transmission, custo- mised reporting, quality control and cost optimised charge correction.Intended for use with the makers’ range of X-ray and optical emission spectrometers, it enables the output of stand-alone instruments to be presented in various application- or user-specificformats. Moreover, the trans- mission facility allows the transfer of data to a remote computer for operations such as archiving, management reporting and financial administration. Another new addition is a version of the X40 analytical package for the makers’ P3100 Series personal computers and other IBM-com- patibles using the MS DOS operating system. Suitable for both PW1404 sequential and PW1606 simultaneous spectrometers, it incorporates all of the features previously available for DEC- based installations; in particular, it per- mits the use of the makers’ theoretical “alphas” for matrix correction.Philips Industrial and Electro-acoustic Systems Division, P.O. Box 218, 5600 MD Eindhoven, The Netherlands. X-ray Detector Psi is a thermoelectrically cooled X-ray detector which requires no liquid nitrogen cooling; it can be used in several materials analysis techniques. The elimination of liquid nitrogen cooling means reduced size, weight and cost, with increased convenience, a wider range of applicabil- ity and more mobility for many types of analytical instruments. Psi captures the entire spectrum of energies from X-ray diffraction, scatter and fluorescence information at every Bragg angle.The analyser electronics can then select the wanted and reject the unwanted spectral window regions for reprocessing. Kevex Corporation, 1101 Chess Drive, Foster City, California 94404-1199, USA. Atomic Absorption Spectrometer The Model 2100 is a fully IBM PC controlled instrument. It can determine up to 18 elements in 50 samples with fast throughput. Automatic lamp turret, burner positioning, gas box and flame sensing are standard features. By using the makers’ quick change mount the user can change from flame to furnace opera- tion in less than 3 min. A new furnace and autosampler are also available. The Model HGA700 is designed to be inter- faced directly to either the Model 2100 or the Model 1100B. Rapid graphite furnace signals are fully resolved on the high resolution display screen of the Epson PC or IBM PC controller.Background cor- rected analyte signals (solid line) and background-only signals (dashed line) are shown simultaneously to provide com- plete analytical information. The AS70 is the furnace autosampler; it offers simpli- fied programming from the spectrometer keyboard, automatic set-up of all auto- sampler parameters from stored methods, automatic calibration with improved accuracy with multiple standards, and variable pipetting speeds for handling viscous samples. Perkin-Elmer Ltd., Post Office Lane, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire HP9 1QA. Accessory and Software for Colour Analysis A large aperture integrating sphere acces- sory has been specifically designed for colour measurement (diameter 150 mm).Its large aperture minimises small variations in the sample surface. Moreover, it offers good sample accessi- bility and is easily removed to enable the instrument to be used for transmission and absorbance measurements. COLOR- 2, a new version of the existing colour software, features CIE and laboratory measurements on both live and stored data using 2 observer positions and 3 illuminants, colour difference, whiteness/ yellowness index, recalculation of LAB and LUV values, interaction with PECUV software data files, and trans- mission measurements. A version of this software for the 7000 Series Professional Computer is also available (COLOR-3). Perkin-Elmer Ltd., Post Office Lane, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire HP9 1QA. Software for Emission Spectrometers ES30 is an analytical software package for the makers’ PV8030 and PV8050 Series optical emission spectrometers. It permits system calibration, automated analysis and results calculation via the makers’ P3102 or other IBM PC-compatible com- puter.Calculation facilities include a choice of mathematical models for inten- sity-concentration conversion plus regres- sion analysis to ensure reliable calibration over wide concentration ranges. Accu- racy is further enhanced by the use of additive and multiplicative intensity car- , rections for matrix effects, which are again derived by regression. Philips Industrial and Electro-acoustic Systems Division, P.O. Box 218, 5600 MD Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Data Handling Package for Chromatography Version 2 of Chromatochart contains significant enhancements, including higher resolution graphics, which make full use of the IBM Enhanced Graphics Adaptor.Another new feature is batch reprocessing of chromatograms, which further increases the speed at which data can be processed. Heyden and Son Ltd., Spectrum House, Hillview Gardens, London NW4 2JQ.ANALYTICAL PROCEEDINGS, JANUARY 1988, VOL 25 23 Dedicated Gas Analysis Carlo Erba Instruments have developed a series of dedicated gas analysers based on the existing Mega and Vega Series of gas chromatographs. The system employed provides a user-friendly analyser which may use TCD and FID in series, 2 TCDs and an FID, or TCD, methaniser and FID in series. Systems have already been developed for natural gas (IS0 NORM 6974), natural gas (modified), trans- former oil gas analysis (TOGA), hydro- carbon gas analysis using a wide-bore capillary and hydrocarbon gas analysis using a narrow-bore capillary.Carlo Erba Instruments (UK), MSE, Sussex Manor Park, Gatwick Road, Crawley RH10 2QQ. Chromatography Works tat ion Each Turbochrom multi-channel, multi- tasking, chromatography data station is able to acquire, process and reduce data from up to 15 instruments simultaneously. It can. at the same time, be used to generate custom reports, optimise acqui- sition parameters and run other pro- grams. It runs under MS DOS and uses Microsoft Corporation’s new Windows operating environment. The latter is a visual interface which allows the concur- rent operation of several programs or activities on the same CRT screen.User interaction with Turbochrom is by means of a mouse. Turbochrom is compatible with the new IBM Personal Systemi2 series of computers. For users of the makers’ Model 2600 there is a package available which upgrades the software to the new Model 2700 (Turbochrom) chromatography data system. Nelson Analytical Ltd., 860 Birch- wood Boulevard. Warrington, Cheshire WA3 7QZ. HPLC System The Model 510 isocratic HPLC system, ideal for instructional use, features a rapid refill pump and pulse damper for smooth flow, 3XL injector, which allows easy selection of three different internal sam- ple loops, settable highilow pressure shut- offs for sample protection, and a prime/ purge valve for easy mobile phase change. Options include semi-prep pumpheads, semi-prep flow cells and wavelength selection filters.Scientific Glass Engineering (UK) Ltd., 1 Potters Lane, Kiln Farm, Milton Keynes MKll 3LA. Detector for HPLC The LC-235 is a diode-array detector, which features automatic peak purity assessment, automatic identification of the wavelength of maximum absorbance, programmed and on-demand collection of spectra, high sensitivity spectra with spectral overlay, biocompatibility and double-beam diode-array optics monitor- ing of both sample and reference. Perkin-Elmer Ltd., Post Office Lane, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire HP9 1QA. Instrumentation and Software for Thin-layer Chromatography A new analyser and evaluation system package, Berta + Eva, turn 2-dimen- sional TLC into a viable analytical tech- nique. Fifty times faster than sequential pseudo-2D imaging, Berta measures the whole surface of a 20 x 20 cm plate and gives good resolution in both dimensions, better than 1 mm in the case of CI4.The Eva evaluation system displays chromato- grams on a screen as a graph or colour- coded contour map. Regions of interest can be defined with a mouse for closer examination. Also available is a 2-D ploti2-D integration program, which runs on the makers’ Rita TLC analyser. This program is intended to plug the gap between Rita used in the conventional way and Berta + Eva. Raytest Instruments Ltd., St. John’s House, 131 Psalter Lane, Sheffield s11 8UX. Software for Gel Permeation Chromatography GPC 2000 is a software package for graphical and numerical analysis on data derived from GPC. It is designed as an enhancement package for the makers’ chromatography laboratory automation system (CLAS).The output from GPC 2000 includes a GPC calibration curve, a GPC data report, including sample reten- tion time and various molecular weight statistics, and graphical presentation of weight molecular weight, number mol- ecular weight and percentage cumulative weight molecular weight. Perkin-Elmer Ltd., Post Office Lane, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire HP9 1QA. Automatic Coulometric Karl Fischer Titrator The AF7 has been developed to offer rapid analysis. It is capable of titrating water at 20 mg min-1, which equates to coulometric titrations with the speed and moisture range of titrimetric instruments. Moisture measurements over the range 1 p.p.m.-100% water are attainable on one instrument.Baird and Tatlock Ltd., P.O. Box 1, Romford, Essex RM1 1HA. Water Quality Monitor The Model 7975 self-checking, micro- processor-based water quality monitor can operate at an unmanned site for long periods, simultaneously measuring up to six different parameters (water tempera- ture, pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity and air temperature) with high and low alarms for each of the six chan- nels. All of these data can be relayed to a central station by telemetry or landline or fed into a local data logger. Kent Industrial Measurements Ltd., Oldends Lane, Stonehouse, Gloucester- shire GLlO 3TA. Balances, Software and Peripherals A special applications package, LabPac- M, for the makers’ AM/PM series of electronic analytical and precision balances provides a formulating system.As soon as the target weight of the first component has been keyed in, the balance switches the built-in DeltaTrac secondary analog display to overiunder mode. The required quantity can then be weighed in exactly, without having to watch the digital display. With a printer connected to the balance, each step of the formulation is recorded. The new AM analytical series of balances are equipped as standard with all the features of the -M technology previously available with only the PM series, such as a selectable vibra- tion adapter and permanently programmed applications for counting, per cent. weighing, plusiminus, a selec- tion of weight units and an interface allowing connection to peripheral instru- ments.The PM range of precision balances covers a readability span of 0.001 to 1 g and weighing ranges between 0-100 g and 0-30 kg. Included in this range of 17 balances are four DeltaRange models. Accessories and peripherals include the LP16 infrared dryer, LVl0 automatic feeder, Application Pacs and LabWare. Also available is the SM range of scales with weighing ranges up to 12 kg and all incorporating the -M technology. The TE range of scales consists of 10 models with capacities from 6 to 120 kg. Five models are multi-functional for weighing, count- ing, compounding and checkweighing; the other 5 are basic grosshet scales. Mettler Instrumente AG, CH-8606 Greifensee, Switzerland. Electronic Analytical Balances The Ohaus Galaxy range of balances enables accurate measurements as small as 0.1 mg to be taken over the entire weighing range.The weighing chamber is accessible via any of 3 glass sliding doors. Three models are available: 2 single range balances with weighing ranges of 110 and24 ANALYTICAL PROCEEDINGS, JANUARY 1988, VOL 25 160 g and a dual-range model of 30 or 160 g, with the 30-g range accurate to 0.01 mg. BDH Ltd., Apparatus Division, P.O. Box 8, Dagenham, Essex RM8 1RY. Helium Leak Detector Ready for use in 3 min, the portable HLT 100 is easy to use and has no need for liquid nitrogen. One of Cambridge Mass Spectrometry's instruments, a laser ioni- sation mass analyser, was leak limited, reducing its maximum operatjng pressure from 10-9 to 10-5 Torr. Following various other tests the HLT 100 was brought in, rapidly pinpointing a faulty component Photometric Analyser The Vitalab 10 is a universal filter pho- tometer capable of accommodating all types of square cuvettes, including low volume drain cell cuvettes, and most round test-tube and flow cell types.It has fully automatic zeroing and calibration and its design allows the addition of the makers' alphanumeric DPU 40 printer. It is suitable for both routine clinical and industrial use. Vital Scientific Ltd., Huffwood Trad- ing Estate, Partridge Green, West Sussex RH13 8AU. Surface Analysis Instruments The Series 900 surface analysis instru- ments are modular in design. The S930 features a mass filtered Duoplasmatron source for dynamic depth profiling and dopant studies, and a pre-filtered Quad- rupole Mass Analyser for maximum sensi- tivity across a wide mass range.A selec- tion of microfocused liquid metal ion guns provide high resolution (30Ck50 nm) SIMS imaging. In static SIMS the makers' range of scanning FAB and inert gas ion guns provide sub-monolayer sensitivity for the precise chemical analysis of sur- faces. Instrument automation of acquisi- tion and analysis, advanced depth profi- ling and image processing are handled by the user friendly DS800 control and data system. Kratos Analytical, Barton Dock Road, Urmston, Manchester M31 2LD. logue and pulse re-transmission signals. The meter is self-contained and requires no secondary instrumentation. Kent Industrial Measurements Ltd., Oldends Lane, Stonehouse, Gloucester- shire GLl0 3TA. Flow Measurement System A three-component flow measurement system combines thermal anemometry techniques with a new data analysis algorithm to provide an accurate method for taking 3-D hot-wire and hot-film measurements.Although designed for 3-D flows, the system is also suitable for single and/or x-sensor analysis. A typical 3-D system includes a three-sensor probe, a computer-controlled three-channel ane- mometer with associated signal condition- ers, a temperature module, a high speed multi-channel digitiser and a data analysis software package. The addition of appropriate components allows expan- sion of the system up to 16 channels. BIRAL, P.O. Box 2, Portishead, Bris- to1 BS20 7JB. Ultrasonic Processors The Vibra-cell processes a wide range of samples and volumes from microlitres to gallons, preparing emulsions down to 0.01 pm, homogenising liquids, dissolving dif- ficult compounds and catalysing chemical and enzymatic reactions.Four different Vibra-cells are available for applications ranging from small-scale laboratory use with volumes as low as 100 p1 to process- ing larger biological samples and chemical processing up to a maximum of 200 Programmer for Baths and gallons. Other uses include preparing Circulators and its porous weld. Customers can hire The PZ1 programmer is an addition to the samples for particle size analysis, de- the detector complete with a 4 m3 h-' Barrington range of thermostatic gassing liquids and disaggregating par- pump, sniffer probe with 3-m hose, c a b instrumentation. Simple to operate, it ticulates.rated test leak, selection of adapter features digital setting and display span- Roth Scientific c o . Ltd., Alpha House, flanges with connection hose, and remote ning from -40 to +300 "C and stores up to 9-11 Alexandra Road, Farnborough, audio-visual indicator with 5 m cable. ten temperature profiles. With automatic Hampshire GU14 6BU Ba1ze1-s High Vacuum Ltd., North- switch-off and an alarm to indicate end- bridge Road, Berkhamsted, Hertford- of-program condition, the programmer signal ~~~l~~~~ shire HP4 1EN. to be set to repeat to HewJett-Packard's 3561A dynamic signal analyser, designed to meet spectral analy- nine times; these can to three Heat Flux Differential Scanning heating/cooling (l-looO OC sis test needs in electronics, vibration Calorimeter and four periods Of up to loo h.An analysis and acoustics applications, is program function available on hire. A purchase option plan allows the user to spread capital outlay or operating over the temperature range circulator fluid temperature differs from to evaluate equipment before purchasing. from -150 to +700 "C and can be used in the set value by a fully integrated computer system or start of each hold period. There is an Electroplan Rental catalogue. simply with a potentiometric recorder. Electroplan Rental, P.O. Box 19, Transported on the back of an estate Barrington, Grant Instruments Cambridge CB2 5QZ. Ltd*7 Orchard Road, Royston, Hertfordshire vehicle, a DSC 700 has successfully under- The DSC 70° analyser is capab1e Of comes into operation if the bath or than Oe5 o c at the SG8 5HH.gone a series of working demmstrations on customers' premises in the UK, Ire- land, Belgium and Sweden during a recent 4000-mile itinerary. The unit wor- ked well under field conditions through- out the tour. On many occasions it was transferred from the cold interior of the estate car, where it had remained over- night, into a laboratory environment of 22-23 "C. Stanton Redcroft Ltd., Copper Mill Lane, London SWll OBN. Ultrasonic Flow Meter This instrument is available in sizes from 200 mm to 2 m in diameter. It is suitable for measuring the flow of relatively clean fluids at process temperatures from -20 to + 100 "C and it can accommodate pres- sures up to 16 bar with an accuracy of k 1% of reading. It is suitable for any flow range between 0-1 m s-1 and 0-10 m s-1.Flow-rate indication and totalisation are provided as standard, along with ana- Plasma Analysis Kits A range of kits is available to make the analysis by HPLC of catecholamines in plasma fast, easy and convenient. Each kit is an integrated, pre-packed reagent system for the analysis of norepinephrine (noradrenalin), epinephrine (adrenalin) and dopamine. The kits are optimised for use with the Coulochem electrochemical detector. Analysis takes only 10 min and requires three simple steps.ANALYTICAL PROCEEDINGS, JANUARY 1988, VOL 25 25 Severn Analytical Ltd., Unit 2B, St. Francis’ Way, Shefford Industrial Estate, Shefford, Bedfordshire SG17 5DZ. Scanning Auger Microprobe The S820 scanning Auger microprobe (SAM) is designed to meet the semicon- ductor laboratory’s need for a dedicated instrument, compact and simple to oper- ate, with state-of-the-art performance specification (in excess of 60000 counts s-1 nA-1 on Cu LMM combined with spatial resolution of better than 50 nm).Burette A Morbank burette comes in a variety of sizes from 5 to 100 ml. The stopcock, key and barrel are all made from PTFE. The stopcock is joined to the burette by two screw-thread connectors, so that in the event of breakage the glass components can easily be replaced. J. Bibby Science Products Ltd., Stone, Staffordshire. Slimline Bottle A new straight-sided 60-ml container, the Kratos S820 scanning Auger microprohe Moreover, the rasterable, differentially pumped ion gun allows the system to be used as a highly sensitive, depth profiling, thin-film analyser.An energy dispersive X-ray detector is offered as an option to facilitate simultaneous Auger (surface) and EDX (bulk) analysis capability. Kratos Analytical, Barton Dock Road, Urmston, Manchester M3 1 2LD. Clinical Chemistry Analysers Vitalab 21 is programmable for up to 30 tests, and the 32 pl cell volume keeps reagent consumption low. The Vitalab 30 series, incorporating automatic wavelength selection, multi-function video display, a printer, a programmable 21 test memory and a sipper pump are available with plug-in filters (Vitalab 30), 8-position automatic filterwheel (Vitalab 31) or with monochromator (Vitalab 32). All models are fitted with curve fitting software for non-linear tests and all can be converted into the 100 series of chemistry batch analysers by the addition of a sampler and programmable diluter.The Vitalab 200 patient profile analyser can perform up to 12 tests at a time from a menu of 40 different methods. After loading, it calculates the fastest running sequence, performs quality control checks and can carry out up to 72 tests h-1. A range of osmometers and the Orion 10/20 ISE analyser for sodium and potassium are also available. Vital Scientific Ltd., Huffwood Trad- ing Estate, Partridge Green, Sussex RH13 8AU. 60 ml Plus Tall, is taller and slimmer than the normal 60-ml container and is avail- able with a wide variety of caps and labels, sterile or unsterile. Medfor Products, 15 King’s Road, Fleet, Hampshire GU13 9AA. Laboratory Information Handling Systems Five new products are announced. The PC Integrator is a dual-channel system for data acquisition, storage, integration, reporting, plotting and re-integration.By use of simple menu screens and his own selected values, the chemist can process chromatography data to final report stage, while at the same time using the PC to run a third-party program such as LOTUS 1-2-3. Turbochrom is a PC-based chromatography workstation. ACCESS- *Chrom is a multi-tasking chromato- graphy software package which runs on DEC VAX and MicroVAX I1 minicom- puters; using VMS-based software, it provides a centralised chromatography data reduction package running on DEC hardware. ACCESSkLIMS is a modular laboratory information management system fully compatible with the makers’ chromatography workstation and other mini-based systems and can be connected to them via Ethernet.Finally, a new multi-level networking facility, Open Architecture Network, allows maximum use to be made of many computing resources within the laboratory, enabling users to access the network from any location in the laboratory or from any level in the hierarchy of bench work- stations. Nelson Analytical Ltd., 860 Birchwood Boulevard, Birchwood, Warrington, Cheshire WA3 7QZ. Compressed Air Dryers Two small capacity ranges of desiccant dryers, the Mini and Midi Pneudri, are compact, offering a 60% space saving on conventional units of the same capacity. The Mini range, consisting of four models, covers air flow capacities from 3 to 15 scfm and the Midi range, with nine models, covers capacities from 20 to 160 scfm. Desiccant dryers will typically give pressure dewpoints of from -40 to -70°C. Delivered air quality can be guaranteed by using the makers’ OIL-X filters, the Grade AA pre-filter giving particulate removal down to 0.01 pm with oil mist less than 0.01 mg m-3.A Grade AC prefilter will provide compressed air containing oil vapour less than 0.003 mg m-3. For compressed air of the finest quality the makers offer the Pure-Dri, a 4-stage unit. By adding extra towers to this modular dryer its flow capacity can be increased in steps from 100 to 1600 scfm. Domnick Hunter Filters Ltd., Durham Road, Birtley, County Durham DH3 2SF. Chromatography Instruments The SFC3000 is a supercritical fluid chro- matograph system with programmable injection and a data station for instrument control as well as data acquisition.It is equipped with the makers’ on-column injector and an FID detector. A series of Maxima GC workstations allow instru- ment control and data acquisition. Word processing or spreadsheet calculations can be carried out in the foreground while data are acquired in the background mode. A range of dedicated gas analysers is also announced. Based on a 3-valve system fitted to the Vega and Mega series26 ANALYTICAL PROCEEDINGS, JANUARY 1988. VOL 25 of gas chromatographs, they can carry out a wide range of gas analysis (natural gas, TOGA, etc.). The “0” FID gas chromat- ography detector is responsive to oxygen- ated compounds and has been developed for the petroleum industry.A peroxy- acetyl nitrate analyser has also been developed. Also announced is Baseline, a new IBM based gas chromatography workstation complete with mouse-driven pull-down graphics, true multi-tasking, dual-channel operation, 22-bit interface and hard-disk storage. Carlo Erba Instruments (UK), MSE, Sussex Manor Park, Gatwick Road, Crawley RHlO 2QQ. Surface Area Analyser The Sorptomatic 1900 is based on an automatic multi-point BET principle and can be used to provide pore size informa- tion, surface area measurement, specific surfaces and chemical mapping of sur- faces. It is a modular system to which may be added a chemisorption unit, a krypton unit, a quadrupole thermal mass detector and an IBM based data processor. Carlo Erba Instruments (UK), MSE, Sussex Manor Park, Gatwick Road, Crawley RHlO 2QQ.Safelab Systems A range of products is announced: all- PTFE - FEP - PFA distillation systems with a range of six pore-free pure PTFE reaction vessels from 500 to 6000 ml; Bohlender’s range of fluoroplastics labor- atory ware, consisting of bottles, beakers, jars, tubing and PTFE, PPH and glass Safe-Lab stoppers; Chemoflex, Spira- chem, Multichem and Chemoline flex- ible, corrugated or helically convoluted special PTFElFEPiPFA hoses from Maag Technic AG of Switzerland; PTFE spray and PTFE paint, which can be brushed on to any metal surface; metal crucibles precision drawn from zirconium, inconel, nickel, molybdenum or tantalum; Basic and Super Chemisorb respirators; the Chemiscape emergency escape hoods; and the survivor escape - re-entry - rescue hoods.Safelab Systems Ltd., Bush House, 72 Prince Street, Bristol BS1 4HU. Literature A brochure, “Products for XRF ICP Sample Preparation,” describes materials and applications for spectrographic analy- sis. There is a section on the care and maintenance of precious metal laboratory apparatus. A comprehensive range of product information sheets outline the types of apparatus available, with recom- mended sizes, weights and materials listed in tables for easy reference. Johnson Matthey Materials Technol- ogy Division, Noble Metals Business Unit, Fourth Way, Exhibition Grounds, Wembley, Middlesex HA9 OHW. Literature is available on the TBT- Orthodyne range of chromatographs. Brochures describe the Argon chromato- graphs and a range of detectors, and examples are given of chromatograms obtained.Orthodyne s.a., Avenue de ]’Union, 25 , B-4300 Liege/Ans, Belgium. Three brochures on HPLC columns are announced. The first gives details of the complete Chrompack HPLC range and describes the 18 different packing materials available both in conventional stainless steel columns and in the new modular ChromSep HPLC columns. The other two feature new products: the high speed, high efficiency columns for fast high resolution HPLC separations and the new ChromSpher PAH column for the analysis of polycyclic hydrocarbons. Chrompack UK Ltd., Unit 4, Indescon Court, Millharbour, London E l 4 9TN. A brochure gives details of the Kemtek 700 compact automated liquid handling system, which is ideally suited to medical and industrial sample preparation.Com- patible with a wide range of computers, it is supplied with comprehensive software, and information is available on the pro- vision of customised software. Another brochure describes the Kemtek 1000 total liquid handling system. A number of optional extras, including a tube washer, a plate washer and a carousel and bar-code reader, are available. The Kemble Instrument Co. Ltd., Albert Drive, Burgess Hill, Sussex RH15 9NB. An application note, Number 810. gives information on determining the thermal characteristics of PVC by means of the makers’ FP85 DSC measuring cell in conjunction with the FP80 control unit. Using the FP85 it is possible, with the aid of the DSC curve, to determine the vitrification temperature and hence the proportion of plasticiser in the plastic. Mettler Instrumente AG. CH-8606 Greifensee, Switzerland. Literature presents details of the Visidry drying attachment for the Visiprep solid phase extraction vacuum manifold. Readily installed on the vacuum mani- fold, it prevents water from contaminat- ing normal-phase eluents and enables the operator to dry the packing bed in up to 12 samples at one time. Supelco Inc., Supelco Park, Bellefonte, PA 16823-0048, USA. An illustrated brochure describes the Model L7-65, a 65 000 rev min-* ultra- centrifuge for studies of nucleic acids and other biological materials. It lists the 36 preparative ultracentrifuge rotors that can be used with the L7-65 and explains the best possible processing efficiency via carrier belts available with the bowl rotor. A booklet provides information on appli- cations for the TL-100 benchtop ultracen- trifuge. Arranged in the form of a conti- nuing bibliography with annotations, arranged by subject, documenting the use of rapid ultra-centrifugation for small samples, it includes the following head- ings: binding studies, DNA, lipoproteins, proteins, RNA, sub-cellular fractions, translation reaction proteins and viruses. Beckman Ltd., Progress Road, Sands Industrial Estate, High Wycombe, Buck- inghamshire. A new short-form catalogue, for 1987-88, offers a source of information on a wide range of electro-optical laboratory equip- ment, from fibre optics to scientific and industrial lasers. Lambda Photometrics Ltd., Lambda House, Batford Mill, Harpenden, Hert- fordshire AL5 5BZ.