Category Archives: pinnacle pcx

Pickering Exhibits at Pittcon 2013

This year’s Pittcon was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from March 17-21, 2013.

view of philly from the museum On display were Pinnacle PCX, EluVAC, and a video of the FREESTYLE Automated Sample Preparation Instrument.  The video was a new technique for us, and it was well received.

The video in our booth was a combination of the separate videos for each module of the FREESTYLE Automated Sample Preparation Instrument. You can view the originals here (they are very informative, and we highly recommend them): FREESTYLE VIDEOS

Wendy, Mike and David enjoyed visiting with existing and future customers, as well as our distributors from around the world, including our Canadian distributor, Chromatographic Specialties.

Before the show opened, we had the opportunity to explore the city.  Philadelphia is one of our oldest cities and is full of history and landmarks. Some of this editor’s favorites include Independence Hall and the surrounding neighborhoods, and the Art Museum (see more below).  On this trip, we explored Reading Terminal Market, and sampled that famous cuisine, the Philly Cheese steak Sandwich. I’m told it is not truly a Philly Steak sandwich unless you have it with Cheez Whiz. Any type of real cheese doesn’t count. I made that mistake on my first trip to Philadelphia, and the man behind the counter let me know it!  I wasn’t about to make that mistake again:

philly cheesesteak

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is known for its amazing collection of artwork (viewed on a previous visit), but is also made famous by the scene of Sylvester Stallone running up the stairs in the movie Rocky.  Since the author of this entry happened to be training for a race, she decided that a little cold wasn’t going to stop her. So she put on her iPod (Rocky Theme playing, of course), and ran from the hotel to the top of the steps and back (total distance: about 2.8miles).

view from the bottom

wendy philly top of steps

wendy rockyOn the return to the hotel, I came across a version of the LOVE sculpture, by American Artist Robert Indiana. I always thought it was was much bigger…

love sculpture

 

For those of you interested in learning more about the sculpture, click HERE

If you’re ever in Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Museum of Art is definitely worth a visit.

But if you can’t make the trip to Philadelphia, you could also stay home and watch Rocky…

Aflatoxins in Edible Oils Collaborative Study Published

Pickering Laboratories, Inc was one of several laboratories who participated in a collaborative study, the results of which were published in the November-December issue of Journal Of AOAC International.

Here is the reference:

Determination of Aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2 in Olive Oil, Peanut Oil, and Sesame Oil using Immunoaffinity Column Cleanup, Post Column Derivatization and Liquid Chromatography/Fluorescence Detection: Collaborative Study.

Authors: Bao, Lei; Liang, Chengzhu; Trucksess, Mary W.; Xu, Yanli; Lv, Ning; Wu, Zhenxing; Jing, Ping; Fry, Fred S.

Source: Journal of AOAC International, Volume 95, Number 6, November-December 2012, pp. 1689-1700(12)

Participating laboratories could use Photochemical Derivatization or electrochemical derivatization.  The sample clean-up was performed using Immunoaffinity clean-up columns.

Pickering has many great tools for the analysis of Aflatoxins, including the UVE Photochemical Reactor, our Pinnacle PCX, immunoaffinity clean-up columns, HPLC columns, and column handling equipment such as the FREESTYLE SPE, AcceCLEAN, and EluVac.

On-Demand Webinar: Rugged and Sensitive Analysis of Mycotoxins in Food Matrices

If you missed the live webinar last summer, you can still hear the Webinar On-Demand! Just click on the links below to launch the presentation.
On August 14th, 2012, in collaboration with Thermo Scientific, Pickering Laboratories participated in a free webinar titled: Rugged and Sensitive Analysis of Mycotoxins in Food Matrices
 
The webinar was hosted by LC/GC Magazine and Thermo Scientific.
 
Live Webcast: Tuesday, August, 14, 2012 at 8:00 am PDT; 11:00 am EDT; 15:00 GMT

Register Free at http://www.chromatographyonline.com/foodmatrices
EVENT OVERVIEW
Mycotoxins are found in a staggering range of matrices, from grains to fruits, spices and nuts to animal feed. They are of major concern for their negative impact on the worldwide economy from product revenue losses, their toxicity to animals and humans, and their persistence throughout multiple food processing steps.Learn how Pickering Laboratories addresses this challenge and meets guidelines set by the FDA using sensitive and rugged Thermo Scientific UHPLC methods to effectively detect Aflatoxins as well as other key classes of Mycotoxins. These easy-to-use methods utilize immunoaffinity clean-up and post-column derivatization.

Also join us to discover the benefits of a Thermo Scientific LC-MS/MS method using automated Turbulent Flow sample extraction to separate Mycotoxins from complex food matrices. A highly efficient solution used in high throughput laboratories that eliminates manual sample preparation, improves method reliability and drives down cost per sample.

Who Should Attend
Analytical Chemists
Lab Managers
Food Science Researchers
Presenters
Wendy E. Rasmussen
Wendy E. Rasmussen
Technical Expert
Food, Agricultural and Environmental Markets
Pickering Laboratories
Markus M. Martin
Markus M. Martin
Solutions Manager LC/MS
Thermo Fisher Scientific
Dr. Yang Shi
Dr. Yang Shi
Senior Applications Scientist
LC/MS Applications
Thermo Fisher Scientific
Laura Bush
Moderator:
Laura Bush
Editorial Director
LCGC North America
Presented by
Sponsored by
LC/GC Logo
Thermo Logo
 

Obsolescence of PCX 5200 in February 2013

Special Note! The Pinnacle PCX and  Vector PCX instruments are available and will continue to be 100% supported for the foreseeable future!

The PCX 5200 will no longer be supported starting February 2013. This means we will no longer keep replacement parts in stock starting February 2013.  

PCX5200 will be obsoleted in February 2013

Common parts like tubing, nuts, ferrules, and filters that are used on the Pinnacle and the Vector will still be available.

Our current models, the Pinnacle PCX and Vector PCX are a great upgrade option to the PCX 5200. You can download our PCX Product Brochure from the Pickering website or find more information by clicking on the individual links.

If you have any questions, please contact support@pickeringlabs.com 

If you would like a quotation for a new system or to place an order, please contact orders@pickeringlabs.com 

David Mazawa,Technical Support Chemist

Pickering Products

Mycotoxins: Clean-up Columns, ELISA Kits, Post-Column Derivatization Instruments & Methods, SPE manifolds (manual & automated) for the analysis of:

Aflatoxins
Ochratoxin A
DON
Nivalenol
Fumonisin FB1, FB2
Zearalenone
Ergot Alkaloids

Post-Column Derivatization: Pinnacle PCX, Vector PCX, UVE Photochemical Reactor, Columns, Reagents, Eluants for the analysis of:

Antioxidants
Mycotoxins (individual and multi-residue)
Amino Acids
Biogenic Amines
Paralytic Shellfish Toxin
Polyether Antibiotics
Hexavalent Chromium
Vitamins
Sugars
Nitrate/Nitrite
Bromate
Carbamate Pesticides
Glyphosate Herbicide
NDELA
Formaldehyde

Sample Preparation (clean-up) Instruments:

FREESTYLE for SPE, GPC, online-concentration
FREESTYLE ThermELUTE for Aflatoxin analysis (direct inject onto HPLC)
AcceCLEAN for SPE (incl. Immunoaffinity columns)
EluVAC vacuum manifold for SPE (incl. Immunoaffinity columns)
GPC QUATTRO for manual GPC Cleanup
DECS System for the cleanup of samples for Dioxin analysis

Chemistry Products:

Artificial Perspiration
Artificial Saliva
High Purity Water

Stand-Alone OEM Syringe Pump:

For any applications requiring an inert flow path, volumes up to 70mL, and pressures up to 500psi

For More Information visit:

www.pickeringlabs.com

or email: sales@pickeringlabs.com

Pinnacle Preventative Maintenance

Keep your Pinnacle in good condition and minimize downtime by performing annual maintenance. Performing Preventative Maintenance on your Pinnacle PCX is easy to accomplish with the Kits and Instruction we provide. Refer to the Maintenance Section of the Pinnacle Manual for details on performing the maintenance. Contact Pickering Laboratories Technical Support with any questions. 800-654-3330, 650-694-6700, or email support@pickeringlabs.com
Below you can find a general maintenance schedule. Your maintenance schedule will depend on usage. If you use the Pinnacle PCX 24×7, you may want to perform the Preventative Maintenance more often.

Maintenance Schedule

Routine Maintenance

         Check for leaks every day
         Replace Flush and Piston Wash reservoirs every week
         Record operating pressures in a daily log book

Preventative Maintenance

         Replace Valve and Pump Seals every 12 months
         Replace the 10um Reagent Frits every 3 months
         Change the tubing every 24 months

Part Numbers

1000-1003               Kit, PM Service, Pinnacle Single Pump (Pump seals, Valve seals, and replacement filter)
1000-1004               Kit, PM Service, Pinnacle Dual Pump (Pump seals, Valve seals, and replacement filter)
1100-0500               Tubing Kit, Pinnacle Dual Pump
1100-0501               Tubing Kit, Pinnacle Single Pump
1452-0122               Pump Seal Kit, Pinnacle
1452-0200               Valve Seal Tool, Pinnacle (Tool only)
1452-0201               Valve Seals kit, Pinnacle (Seals only)
1452-0202               Valve Maintenance Kit, Pinnacle (seals and tool)
3102-9040               Replacement Reagent 10um Filter
1452-0200               Valve Seal Tool

Parts Lookup

Please try our Parts Lookup on our website if you ever need to find a part number. The Parts Lookup is located on our website. Start at http://www.pickeringlabs.com/
Select Parts Lookup under the Service & Support menu
Or, you can also find the Parts Lookup under the Products menu.
Select the Parts Lookup from the Replacement Components menu on the left side of the page.
Next, choose which instrument you are using.
Once you are in the Parts Lookup, simply click on a part or drag you mouse over the part of interest to see the part numbers.

Sincerely,
David Mazawa
 
Technical Support Chemist
Pickering Laboratories, Inc.
1280 Space Park Way
Mountain View, California 94043 USA
Phone: 650-694-6700, ext. 710
Fax: 650-968-0749

Notice of Backwards Compatible Board for Pinnacle Users

The new Sigma Series Pinnacle PCX has rolled out with a lot of new features. A new Electronic Control Board is included to support many of these features. You will notice that the new boards are blue in color and have a USB connection replacing the RS-232 connection.

Customers with the older Delta Series Pinnacle PCX will have to purchase a backwards compatible board if they experience a board failure.

The backwards compatible board will have a slightly different relay connector to fit properly in the old chassis. The backwards compatible boards will have the most recent firmware, software, and also include a USB cable. Make sure to have your Pinnacle PCX Serial Number handy when ordering a replacement board.

Part Number

Description

Serial Numbers

1500-1507

Replacement board for Delta Series Pinnacle PCX

before 0510308

1500-1508

Replacement board for the Sigma Series Pinnacle PCX

after 0610300

David Mazawa

Technical Support Chemist
David.mazawa@pickeringlabs.com
(650)694-6700 x710