Shimadzu manufactured its first gas chromatograph 50 years ago and, as part of its celebrations, two original GC instruments from the 1980s are on display at the UK headquarters in Milton Keynes
The two GC instruments were returned to Shimadzu on indefinite loan by Ian Wilson, a senior principal scientist in the department of drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics, AstraZeneca, in Cheshire, UK.
Dr Wilson's unusual collection of GC and other scientific instruments spans the last fifty years and provides an impressive illustration of how rapidly technology has progressed over this period - and of how difficult some laboratory techniques were in the past.
"Gas chromatography techniques have revolutionised the way we run our society and are critical for numerous every day analyses, such as measuring alcohol levels in drivers' blood samples and checking food for pesticides," Wilson said.
"It is important to save scientific heritage where you can and it makes sense for the instrument manufacturers to look after our scientific history.
"These two GCs have gone home to Shimadzu where they have been cleaned and restored very nicely, it was clearly a labour of love for the engineers who put them back to their current showroom condition".
Shimadzu has continued to lead the way with innovative technologies and, today, it offers the broadest range of GC models available, including the most powerful GC instrument in the world.
