New Products

Chemicals and materials

Liquid Colorants PicoTint colorants can be used with a wide range of clear thermoplastic engineering resins such as polycarbonate, poly(methyl methacrylate), styrene acrylonitrile, clear acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, glycolized polyester, and terpolymers. The use of a polymer-based carrier, rather than traditional oil- or surfactant-based carriers, provides heat and light stability and an extended shelf life of at least one year. PolyOne, www.polyone.com

Literature and services

Workbenches The 176-page "IAC Workbench Solutions" catalog features a broad range of workbenches, from single-person units to a complete assembly cell for a large team. Available work surfaces include laminates, maple, and stainless steel. A selection of shelving, cabinets, lighting, and trolleys is also included. IAC Industries, www.iacindustries.com

Filtration The updated "Ultrafiltration Application and Product Guide" contains sections on selection, products, protocols, and terminology. The guide is intended to help researchers choose the most appropriate tools for a wide range of applications, including protein concentration, desalting, PCR cleanup, and sequencing-reaction cleanup. Protocols include ultrafiltration applications for proteins, nucleic acids, and viruses. Millipore, www.millipore.com

Instruments and labware

Reactors HPR Series stirred reactors are designed for performing pressurized chemical reactions in the lab. Units range in size from 50 mL to 8 L, fit in a fume hood, and can be operated at up to 10,000 psi and 350 ^oC. High-pressure components are protected by a rupture disc. Supercritical Fluid Technologies, www.supercriticalfluids.com

FTIR Spectrometer M4000 series laboratory units feature 0.5-cm^-1 resolution, a choice of detectors, industry-standard software, a generous sample compartment, and a redesigned mirror drive board. An optional beam output port is available. Midac, www.midac.com

(1) Micromixer Glass microfluidic mixers enable high-quality mixing of micro- or nanoliters of fluids in fractions of a second. The micromixers are part of the Micronit lab-on-a-chip technology platform. When different fluids are injected into a microchip, the fluids are mixed more by diffusion than by convection. In these mixer chips, however, mixing is promoted by special integrated mixer elements. Micronit Microfluidics, www.micronit.com

(2) Liquid Handling The Cheminert M Series Diluter/Dispenser is built around a syringe-free, bidirectional, positive-displacement pump. When given a ratio and a final volume, the unit calculates and dispenses reagent volumes. Two models are available, with flow ranges of 10 nL to 10 mL and 50 ??L to 50 mL. Valco Instruments, www.vici.com

Protein Crystallography The Mosquito automates hanging-drop crystallography set-ups, creating up to 288 drops per 96-well plate. Features include accurate positioning, the ability to miniaturize set-ups (with drop volumes of only 50-1,200 nL), and the use of disposable pipettes to eliminate cross-contamination of samples. Automating drop set-up allows researchers to screen more conditions with less sample in a shorter time and allows the same technique to be used for both screening and scale-up. TTP LabTech, www.ttplabtech.com

Plant materials and equipment

(3) Atmosphere Generator AutoBlend system creates flowing, complex test mixtures for evaluating sensor response, validating analytical methods, and testing catalytic systems. Six independently controlled permeation ovens can each contain up to eight analytes. Features include humidity control, primary and secondary dilution flows, and two headspace saturation channels. Kin-Tek, www.kin-tek.com

Inhaler Tester Used to verify consistent dose delivery, the Automated Emitted Dose system is modular and scalable, accommodating all variations in inhalation-device design. Samples can be picked directly from the production line. Active pharmaceutical ingredients can be recovered from the collection chamber with as little as 25 mL of solvent. Software allows tight control over number of doses, device weighing, duration between shots, and actuation speed. Astech Projects, www.astechprojects.com