N o w y o u c a n a s s e m b l e c o m p l e t e c h r o m a t o g r a p h s u s i n g C h r o m a t r o n i x e q u i p m e n t p l us any of severa l de tec ­t o r s o n t h e m a r k e t . Π Advanced chromatographs for ion exchange, gel pe rmea t ion , adso rp t i on and pa r t i t i on chromatography are now being assem­bled from Chromatronix columns, valves, fitt ings and constant-flow pumps. Every­thing is chemically-inert, and free of mix­ing cavities. The systems are operable at 500 psi, permitting use of the fine column packings that produce rapid, high-reso­lut ion separat ions. Columns are avai l ­able with bores of 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, 9 mm, 1/2 inch and 1 inch. You can assemble exact ly what you need and attach it to the most suitable detector. D S e n d for l i t e ra tu re .

CHROMATRONIX Chromatronix, Incorporated, 2743 Eighth St., Berkeley, Calif. 94710. Phone (415) 841-7221

Circle No. 23 on Readers' Service Card 7 8 A · ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY

L A B O R A T O R Y O F T H E M O N T H

Analyt ical techniques and ski l ls used in the Packaging and Materials Analytical Section are shown above. Left, samples and containers are frozen in l iquid nitrogen before they are sealed to diminish the effect of high sealing heat. Center, glass tubes are necked down and sealed to ensure min imum contamination and loss of by-products in accelerate material /environmental test ing. Right, a practiced eye and steady hand are needed for microt i t rat ion to determine ppm levels of free chloride ion

stage between design and production that the materials specialist must de­pend upon analytical chemistry to aid him in making his decisions. Per cent and types of filler must be determined, and some thermal and chemical testing performed. Hardness tests and accel­erated life studies are an integral par t of such evaluations.

Another segment of the analytical work performed a t Kingston is the generation of technical data to be used in specification writing. Exhaustive studies are performed to simulate both ambient and failure situations for the materials in question. Simple yet in­formative tests must be devised to en­able rapid and accurate decisions by the Quality Control Laboratory regard­ing the acceptability of materials. Fu­ture topics for investigation will in­clude t ime/ temperature effects on light transmitting fibers and classical prob­lems of how to determine the various concentrations of chemicals in plating baths.

The Printed Circuit Processing De­partment specializes in the manufac­ture of quality certified circuits used in prototype hardware configurations as well as in deliverable products. The use of photoresist materials, etchants, and plating baths allows the group to utilize the analytical facilities to pro­vide rapid and more reliable methods of process control and thus increase production efficiency. Two investiga­tions now under way are the analysis of plating baths by atomic absorption spectroscopy and the control of etching rate by monitoring the etchant concen­tration using appropriate electrodes.

The control of photoresist thickness will also be investigated.

Future plans for the analytical sec­tion include use of X-ray diffraction equipment as well as a general enlarg­ing of the analytical facilities to allevi­ate some of the stress caused by rapid expansion and to allow more efficient use of equipment.

An important par t of this enlarge­ment will be the incorporation of a computer into the analytical complex. The trend toward increased sophistica­tion of instrumentation and the expan­sion of data being produced in the lab­oratory lends itself quite readily to computer assistance. This assistance can take two forms: automation of the sampling procedures or automation of data computation, evaluation, and retrieval. The materials field, because of the nonrepetitive nature of its prob­lems, is best suited to the latter type of assistance.

Two instruments which will be com­puterized are the gas chromatograph and the infrared spectrophotometer. Signals from either instrument are fed to the computer which compares them to a previously compiled data storage library. When a prearranged number of similarities are foimd between the sample and a compound in the library, the compound is "retrieved" and its name or number added to a list of pos­sible solutions. The signal from the sample is simultaneously added to the compound library thus expanding its size and value. In this way both the speed and reliability of the analytical services will be increased to gain maxi­mum utilisation of resources.

Teflon fitt ings

Sample injection

valve

Liquid chromato-graphs are here!

High-resolution Micro bore Column

500 psi pump