Navigating the Lab

Patricia Atkins
Columnist Patricia Atkins is a Scientist and Global Product Manager for Spex, an Antylia company, and a member of both the AOAC and ASTM committees for cannabis. This column will deal with the challenges of different laboratory and quality practices and how those challenges apply to the cannabis industry along with tips and advice to navigate around them.

Looking with Light: Understanding Gas Chromatography, Part II: Sample Introduction and Inlets

February 08, 2022

Understand the function and chemistry of GC systems and how to adapt that function and methodology to our own analyses.

Looking with Light: Understanding Gas Chromatography, Part I: Gases

December 14, 2021

Let’s take a deeper look into GC instrumentation.

Examining Energy and Light: Understanding Spectroscopy and Spectrophotometry

October 12, 2021

What is the overall scope of spectroscopy and how can it be used as a tool to improve analyses?

Looking with Light: Understanding Spectrometry

August 11, 2021

We finish looking at liquid chromatography with a deeper examination of the mechanics, physics, and chemistry of different spectrometers that are used in analytical laboratories.

Looking with Light: Breaking Down Liquid Chromatography Method Development

April 16, 2021

A deeper look into the chemistry, physics, and methodology of HPLC methods.

Looking with Light: Understanding the Principles of Analytical Liquid Chromatography

February 05, 2021

From simple separations to detailed wavelength analysis, we examine the important concepts and techniques needed to make liquid chromatography work its best in the laboratory.

Measuring Heavy Metals in Cannabis: What Atomic Spectroscopic Technique Is Right for Your Laboratory?

December 08, 2020

This article takes a look at the major atomic spectroscopy techniques and compares their performance characteristics and in particular examines the limits of quantitation for the four heavy metals (Pb, As, Cd, and Hg) currently being regulated in cannabis and hemp by most states in the US.