Have you heard about the sugar cube in Lake Constance? Progress is chemical analysis technology has produced equipment with astonishing performance
To illustrate this performance, comparisons are often made such as "our measuring equipment can detect a cube of sugar which has been dissolved in Lake Constance".
This may be true as far as the detection capability is concerned, but does this really tell us anything? All too often, expensive analytical instruments are purchased without due regard to the collection and preparation of the sample to ensure that the analysis is carried out on a homogeneous, representative, reproducible and uncontaminated sample.
Unless the sample is reduced in size and accurately sub-divided without risk of contamination, we cannot be certain that sampling error may be greater than measuring error.
Returning to the question of the sugar cube, how was Lake Constance stirred? From which location was the sample taken? Fritsch says its 80 years of experience specialising in sample preparation is rather more meaningful.
Fritsch offers tests of its size reduction mills, sample dividers and feeders.
The company's application laboratory can be used for a free trial preparation of your most difficult solid sample.
