Laboratory operations sampling

Another step in laboratory automation to be achieved is the conversion of standard chemical procedures such as titrations or thermal gravimetric analysis, into unit laboratory operations. A procedure could then be selected from these laboratory operations by an expert system and translated by the system to produce a set of iastmctions for a robot. The robot should be able to obey specific iastmctions, such as taking a specified sample aliquot and titrating it using a specified reagent. 

Have laboratory or sampling techniques been changed or have there been any changes in operators or technicians It may be bad samples or laboratory problems. Additional sampling and analysis should be begun to confirm the problem. 

Organizes analytical laboratory paperwork sample log-in and tracking to final analysis reporting and invoicing, operates on singlc-CPU or local area network of IBM PC/XT/AT/80386 or compatible. 

Colors in a laboratory should be coordinated, just as in a home. If pre-finished work benches are to be installed, they might set the color scheme. While they are available in several colors or combination of colors, the choice is not unlimited. In one case, the laboratory operator was color blind, so his wife took over the job as decorator. First, she selected a two-color scheme for the work benches. Color chips in hand, she then chose a floor covering from a number of samples submitted. For the wall paint, she found a standard color of the recommended quality that harmonized with the cabinets. A few appropriate charts and a colorful cloth wall-hanging of pipes and valves completed the decor. The result received many favorable comments from visitors to the facility. 

Sample shelves also become overcrowded quickly, but it is often required to keep samples for extended periods of time. Older samples can be stacked into cardboard cartons, clearly identified by laboratory project references or quality control numbers, and stored at a convenient location away from the laboratory. Periodically they should be inspected and the out of date ones eliminated. One word of caution, however. Under current pollution control rules, laboratory samples may not be indiscriminatly disposed of as garbage. The laboratory operator should call in a waste disposal service when in doubt. 

During operation, samples of all flows were taken for suspended solids analysis. These tests were performed by a qualified local analytical laboratory. Procedures for this analysis were as outlined in standard methods.47 Glass fiber filter pads with a particle size retention of 1.2 pm were used. 

Like any businesses, bioanalytical laboratories perform operations that transform starting materials (samples and supplies) into products of higher value (quality reports continuing accurate sample concentration data). To maximize productivity and stay ahead of competition, bioanalytical scientists continuously invent, reinvent, and implement processes and techniques that generate more accurate and better quality reports with fewer resources (labor, time, capital, energy, and consumable goods). These continuous optimizations of laboratory operations drove the bioanalytical laboratories to begin... 

SACHEM Inc., located in Cleburne, Texas, is a producer of high-purity bulk chemicals for companies that have high-purity requirements in their chemical processing. Because the products are of high purity, laboratory operations to assure the quality of the products (quality assurance operations) involve the determination of trace levels of contaminants. Contamination of laboratory samples and materials is of special concern in cases like this because an uncommonly small amount of contaminant can adversely affect the results. The laboratory work therefore takes place in a special environment called a clean room. A clean room is a space in which extraordinary precautions are taken to avoid the slightest contamination. Laboratory personnel wear special clean room suits, nets to cover hair, mustaches, and beards, and special shoes, gloves, and safety glasses to minimize possible contamination. 

A good sample custodian is one who has all the analytical laboratory skills outlined in Chapter 1 (see Section 1.5) and utilizes them in executing any analytical laboratory operation. A conscientious and careful laboratory technician will succeed in maintaining sample integrity. See Workplace Scene 2.2. 

Artificial ecosystems are used to simulate in situ environmental conditions. They are designed to function as much like the natural ocean as possible, while providing a system that can be experimentally manipulated and efficiently sampled. Some of the largest artificial ecosystems are the 14 MERL tanks (Marine Ecosystems Research Laboratory) operated by the University of Rhode Island on Narragansett Bay since 1975. 

Flow injection analysis is based on the injection of a liquid sample into a continuously flowing liquid carrier stream, where it is usually made to react to give reaction products that may be detected. FIA offers the possibility in an on-line manifold of sample handling including separation, preconcentration, masking and color reaction, and even microwave dissolution, all of which can be readily automated. The most common advantages of FIA include reduced manpower cost of laboratory operations, increased sample throughput, improved precision of results, reduced sample volumes, and the elimination of many interferences. Fully automated flow injection analysers are based on spectrophotometric detection but are readily adapted as sample preparation units for atomic spectrometric techniques. Flow injection as a sample introduction technique has been discussed previously, whereas here its full potential is briefly surveyed. In addition to a few books on FIA [168,169], several critical reviews of FIA methods for FAAS, GF AAS, and ICP-AES methods have been published [170,171]. 

In Section 3, quality assurance was defined as the laboratory operations employed to test a company s products, or an agency s samples, etc., to determine if they are within specification. This section discusses the specifics of these operations — what considerations are involved in the day-to-day work of a quality assurance technician or chemist. 

SOPs can be both general and specific. Examples of general laboratory operations include how to characterize an analytical standard, how to record observations and data, and how to label reagents and solutions. Most laboratory operations even have an SOP for writing and updating SOPs. Examples of specific laboratory operations include the preparation and analysis of a specific company s product or raw material, the operation and calibration of specific instruments, and the preparation of specific samples for analysis. Often, SOPs are based on published methods, such as those found in scientific journals, in application notes, and procedures published by instrument manufacturers, or in books of standard methods, such as those published by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC). The published... 

Since our laboratory frequently uses HPLC for the final determination step, those assays were first chosen for automation. Each procedure was subdivided into discrete laboratory unit operations for final inclusion into the Zymate program. Each of these operations was also assigned to a module such as hand, master lab station, or blender. The sequence of operations and modules was then merged to arrive at a final procedure. This final procedure was then "taught" to the robot using a series of user-defined terms which could then be coupled into a program for that sample preparation. Since many of the laboratory operations are the same for many assays, an analyst needs to define only a limited number of terms to be intermixed into a variety of programs. 

Data have been generated to show guidelines for expected savings as a function of the number of instruments, number of operators, or number of samples per day (see Tables 8.1 and 8.2). These are estimative guidelines. Appropriate figures for a particular laboratory can be generated only by someone familiar with individual laboratory operation, the personnel, and the existing hardware. 

Why do we need to establish the data quality Why cannot we simply trust the field sampling crew and the laboratory to produce data of required quality according to the SAP s specifications Unfortunately, the world of field and laboratory operations is not ideal, and errors may go unnoticed and uncorrected. As various sampling and non-sampling errors erode the collected data quality, the quantity of usable data is... 

Here the ring test samples are directly provided by DGKC. It can be expected that the number of accredited calibration laboratories operating as multipliers between the national standards and the user level will increase in future. As already mentioned, further accreditations are underway. 

Laboratory Operations. If sufficient sample was present, the following order of analysis was taken to minimize chance of degradation pH, NH4, SO4, NO3, Cl, a, Mg, Na, and K. The pH was measured electrometrically, NH4 by automated colorimetry, the anions by ion chromatography, and the metallic cations by flame atomic absorption. If insufficient sample was available for complete analysis, the anions were measured before ammonium. All samples were analyzed without filtration. However, the samples were decanted to eliminate sedimented particles. 

---