Thermo Electron seeks to strengthen its market position in speciation applications with the sponsorship of a postdoctoral scientist, Shona McSheehy
Based at the Center of Excellence for speciation analysis techniques at the University of Pau in France, Shona McSheehy is dedicated to the development of speciation methodologies and working practices for Thermo's speciation customers in addition to offering them the highest levels of support in terms of product development.
The Center of Excellence was established in 2004 as a result of a collaboration agreement between Thermo and the Bio-geochemistry, ultra trace and isotopic analysis group at the University of Pau.
The Center was created to provide teaching and training to environmental, clinical and petrochemical elemental analysts and to expand the use of elemental speciation techniques through the establishment of robust and routine laboratory procedures.
The multi-disciplinary team of experts from the Ultra Trace Group at the University of Pau has already developed robust extraction and analysis methodologies to enable quantitative determinations of selenium, arsenic, chromium, methylmercury and organo-tin species (some of which are toxic) in environmental and biological sample matrices.
A demonstration and sample analysis facility has been created to further support the use of speciation measurements utilising Thermo's GC-ICP-MS and HPLC-ICP-MS packages.
Thermo's GC-ICP-MS package enables highly sensitive and selective separations of elemental species in liquid or gaseous samples.
The HPLC-ICP-MS package, on the other hand, enables on-line separation and quantification of elemental species in liquid samples with a high degree of specificity and minimal sample preparation requirements.
