Extraction of Polyphenols in Tea with Lemon
For thousands of years, tea has been one of the most popular drinks around the world. Not only is tea delicious, but it is also full of health benefits. Tea is an abundant source of antioxidants calle...
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Showing posts tagged with "water-and-environmental-testing"
Question and Answer Time with EPA Method 8270
EPA Method 8270 is one of the 8000 series methods that outlines the preparation of wastewater samples. It is one of dozens of methods for processing wastewaters for semivolatile organic compounds (SVO...
Everything You Wanted to Know About EPA Method 8270 But Were Afraid to Ask
On the surface, EPA Method 8270 seems pretty straightforward. The first version of this method was published over a decade ago and many environmental labs are processing samples according to the guide...
Environmental Pollution – Are We All Doomed?
Have you ever stopped to enjoy a bright, vibrant sunset, only to have that really annoying friend interrupt your thoughts with a comment like “you know you’re just looking at all the pollution in the ...
Why Move to Manual or Automated Solid Phase Extraction?
If you are tired of shaking liquid-liquid extractions (LLE) and want to move onto a technique that is less labor-intensive, solid phase extraction (SPE) may be your answer! There are manual as well as...
What is the purpose of methanol in an extraction method?
Have you ever been extracting samples for oil and grease compounds using solid phase extraction (SPE) and thought, “why do I have to use all these different solvents, when I’m just trying to get my co...
An Alternative To n-Hexane For Doing Oil and Grease Extractions
Volatile. Flammable. Skin irritant. Respiratory irritant. Possibly fatal if swallowed. For those of you processing samples according to EPA Method 1664B, you’ve seen these hazard descriptions before –...
EPA Methods and the Use of Drying Techniques
Do you ever tire of using sodium sulfate to dry your extracts? I know I do. That is why, whenever I get the chance to avoid using it, I do. The worst experience when using sodium sulfate is when you d...
Tips for Improving Your Oil & Grease Recoveries
On the surface, EPA Method 1664B seems pretty straightforward – use n-hexane to extract compounds (commonly referred to as “oil and grease”) from an acidified water sample. Evaporate the hexane from t...
In Defense of Methylene Chloride
If you’re familiar with methylene chloride (which I’m sure you are since it’s one of the most widely used laboratory solvents), you know that it’s developed a reputation for being one of the “bad boys...