Category Archives: Uncategorized

AATCC, AATCC Meeting, Artificial Eccrine Perspiration, artificial perspiration, Uncategorized

AATCC Meeting

aatcc-logo-largeArtificial Eccrine Perspiration and Consumer Goods Testing

American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) is a worldwide association of professionals active in textile wet processing. It was my great pleasure to join the AATCC regional California meeting in San Francisco and meet all of the other new members.  AATCC approved the new chapter, and it will be great to work with these textile professionals more in the near future.  Recently, AATCC also published a great article about artificial perspiration and how it impacts the textiles and wearable technology industries.  I am including more information below, but please check out the article at: http://www.aatcc.org/pub/aatcc-news/newsletters/1015b-story1/

Perspiration mimics have long been used by many industries to “sweat test” products such as textiles, dyes, cosmetics, credit cards, shoe leather, jewelry, and forensic fingerprint I.D., etc. Normally, a sweat mimic is concocted at the time of the test from a formula that varies by industry.  The industry-specific formulas contain only two to four components that represent a specific challenge: corrosion, textile staining, dye bleeding, magnetic strip damage, etc. 

The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) describes procedures to test many products in the presence of a sweat mimic. According to Michael Pickering, “we were guided by the multiplicity of such tests to develop an artificial perspiration that can yield reproducible results independent of the test.”

Pickering Laboratories created an eccrine solution that allows standardization across all industries; it is the only formula that can satisfy all test challenges.  To facilitate tests on such materials as leather or cosmetics, where culture growth is the challenge, non-preserved formulas are available. 

Reproducible Results Anywhere, Anytime

A typical example of sweat testing in the jewelry industry is to determine the amount of nickel released by perspiration from alloys of gold, nickel, platinum or palladium, called “white gold.”  The nickel leached from these alloys by natural perspiration can cause allergic reactions. Increasing the amount of platinum/palladium in the alloy helps prevent the release of nickel but steeply increases the cost. The problem is thus to determine the minimum amount of noble metals necessary to keep the level of nickel released so as not to exceed the regulated level.  The test specifications vary by country wherever nickel is permitted.  Since the frequency of allergic reaction to nickel is high, the United States forbids the use of nickel in white gold formulations. 

Reproducible artificial perspiration solutions are paramount to forensic fingerprint investigation. Latent prints are made visible by reagents like ninhydrin that dye amines found in eccrine perspiration. To check that a null result is actually the absence of prints and not the results of test failure, crime scene investigation technicians make a control print of their own finger on a similar surface. To standardize this control print, Crime Science, Inc. offers Swetcheck™ artificial perspiration manufactured by Pickering Labs and dispensed in single-use sterile swabs.

Applications

Consumer products testing laboratories and manufacturers that do sweat testing on materials such as textiles, dyes, cosmetics, credit cards, jewelry and metals, coatings and finishings, polymers, leather, wood, keyboards, and any other testing application that would benefit from guaranteed reproducible results with artificial perspiration.

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Pickering, Michael Pickering, Safety, Uncategorized

Safety Fun, First

Rebecca Smith

Pickering Labs decided to place an increased awareness on Safety for 2015!  Don’t get me wrong – laboratory safety is always critical.  We have proper equipment for lifting heavy packages, we provide lab coats and goggles, our employees always use gloves, and we host ergonomics training.  But none of these are especially glamourous, and I have to be careful not to schedule my spill cleanup presentations for right after lunch… 

So this year, we really spiced up some of our safety meetings!  Starting in January, we got the entire company out in the parking lot and had live fire training for proper extinguisher use.  The group had a great time, and the Cintas trainers made fire safety really fun!  Each person got to take a turn, and even Michael Pickering was out there wielding his ABC extinguisher with style.

safety1

If you’ve never had “live fire” training for your fire extinguisher class, let me be the first to recommend it.  The whole group was buzzing with energy and excitement.  It makes you really aware of how hard it is to twist and pull the pin, and how little time you have during an actual fire to get it extinguished.  The trainers really did an excellent job of keeping the pressure on to put those fires out!

safety2

Next, our staff got together this summer and we took a basic First Aid course, supported by the installation of two new fabulous first aid kits!  We paired up and treated “burns” and wrapped gauze around the “head wounds” of our partners.  Again, much fun was had and we learned great first aid skills in the process.  We only had one volunteer for the Heimlich maneuver, and sadly they didn’t wish for everyone to have a turn practicing!  

safety3

But seriously, one of the great things that actually came out of our first aid class was an overwhelming interest in having an onsite AED installed.  The trainer from Cintas discussed some pretty powerful stuff – your chances of surviving cardiac arrest are significantly better with the use of a bystander automated external defibrillator.  An American Heart Association paper from 2011 on resuscitation science that I just read (http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/124/20/2225.full) shows about a 3.5X times better survival rate (49.6% versus 14.3%), and that data is from a 2006-2009 study!  (For more accurate information than I can give you from my random afternoon internet search, feel free to contact Cintas or another provider of safety training.)

The best part about the AED we selected is that there are step-by-step pictures AND verbal instructions for what to do.  And of course it will not issue a shock unless the AED itself determines that there is a need.  So, that takes the guesswork out of whether or not to use the AED during a health emergency (and nobody can chase a coworker around the lab, either).

safety4

So, now that we’re sold – what’s next?!  We ordered the AED, sure, but there’s more to it than that.  We have to register the AED with Stat PADS, the Medical Direction / Physician Oversight service that Cintas works with to provide AEDs.  They work with the local Mountain View emergency medical services to post the location of our AED into their network, another requirement for having one onsite.

And last but not least, the whole company is getting CPR certified and trained on the AED!  Our November safety meeting will be dedicated to this training, and our employees hopefully get a great day out of it.  We will have five hours of training and catered lunch for our midday break! 

So by now you’re probably thinking to yourself “that’s great, Rebecca, but what does all this mean for me?!”  Well, it means that if you’re placing an order with Pickering Labs on November 17, you might consider emailing orders@pickeringlabs.com rather than calling.  Everyone here will be busy practicing CPR on each other and we won’t be available to take your call!  Phone calls will be returned before 9:00am PST and after 2:00pm on that day. 

If you have urgent business, let me know and I will give you Michael Pickering’s cell phone number! 

(An inside joke, as Michael doesn’t have a cell phone.)

Best regards!
  
  

sizes, Test Solutions, Uncategorized

New Convenient Sizes

new-size-largePickering Test Solutions are now available in bottle sizes of 200 mL, 950 mL and Carboys 10 mL – 20 mL

A large part of the research and development effort for Pickering Test Solutions line of artificial body fluids for product testing is responding to customer’s specific requirements for a testing protocol. Often a specific protocol is the beginning of a completely unique formulation for that customer.

Recently we are discovering that customers require more than the standard 200mL bottles for these products. With guidance from our customers we are now offering 950 mL and the Carboy 10 L – 20L  size containers for many of the these products and offering cases purchases for these different containers.

amino acid, Amino Acid Analysis, Chromatography Quiz, Uncategorized

Chromatography Quiz #21

Chromatography Quiz #20 Results

We would like to congratulate our grand prize winners of our last newsletter’s word problem quiz: Helene Lachance from Shur-Gain Nutreco, Narjes Ghafoori from LA County Environmental Toxicology Lab, and Tom Schneider from Suffolk County Water Authority!  

They have each won and will shortly be receiving: Whimsical Turkey Jumbo Caramel Apple Gift Sets from Mrs. Prindables Gourmet Caramel Apples!

prindables-gourmet-caramel-applesFrom Mrs. Prindables website, “Two fine apples come topped with a fair pair of fowl… sure to be gobbled up with delight. One Triple Chocolate Jumbo apple and one Milk Chocolate Walnut Pecan Jumbo apple topped with our whimsical new turkey ornaments. Make them the centerpiece of your Thanksgiving celebration. Sure to brighten your Fall gathering! Each apple weighs Approx. 1.25-1.5 lbs. Serves 8-10.

Additionally, we will be sending our winners a $100 gift card for Williams-Sonoma to aid in their Thanksgiving Day preparations!

We would like to thank all of you for your submissions! 

Thank you! 

Pickering Labs 

 
  

The correct answers to the Michael Pickering Scavenger Hunt: 

 Question One:

Through what organization did Michael first meet Laszlo Torma, our recently retired Director of Technical Relations?

            Answer: AOAC

Question Two:

To whom is the famous quote “Chance favors the prepared mind” attributed?

            Answer: Louis Pasteur

Question Three:

How long was Michael’s train ride from Anchorage to Fairbanks?

            Answer: Eight hours

Question Four:

What phthalate caused Michael so much consternation both during school and later in a customer’s laboratory?

            Answer: Di-octylphthalate

Question Five:

Michael suggests recipe using saffron – what is he cooking?

            Answer: Poached white fish with saffron infused lime sauce
  

Chromatography Quiz #20: Amino Acids Analysis

Identify the error made when running the Amino Acids chromatogram below and win a prize!  Simply email your answer as well as your full contact information to Rebecca at rlsmith@pickeringlabs.com by December 15th, 2015 in order to win.  You will receive email confirmation that your submission has been received.  The answer to the quiz and winner congratulations will be published in the next issue (to be anonymous, please notify Rebecca in submission). 

Amino Acid Analysis – Reduced Peak Areas

Pinnacle PCX post-column instrument is being used, in a traditional HPLC setup as recommended by Pickering Laboratories.  The reference chromatogram and troubleshooting chromatogram are both shown.  The quiz question: what is causing the reduced peak areas problem? 

Hint: Please assume the same Trione reagent is being used for both chromatograms.

Normal/reference post-column conditions for amino acid analysis:
Reagent: Trione
Reactor: 130 °C, 0.5 mL
Reagent flow rate: 0.3 mL/min

Detection: UV-Vis Detector   = 570 nm for primary amino acids,  = 440 nm for secondary amino acids

quiz-21a
  
 

quiz-21b
  

Uncategorized

New OSHA-GHS Compliant Labels and Safety Data Sheets

by Maria Ofitserova

news-icon-sdsAs some of you probably noticed, a number of Pickering Laboratories products are now arriving with different looking labels. In addition to the product name, part number, lot number and expiration date, the labels now also display red and black pictograms as well as a lot of fine print text. What is going on?

We would like to first reassure our loyal customers that you are getting the correct product and absolutely nothing about the formulation of our products has changed. Beginning June 1, 2015 OSHA enacted modifications to its Hazard Communication Standard to align it with GHS specifications. This means that all companies manufacturing and selling chemicals are now required to comply with GHS specifications when labeling their products. This also means that the information listed in Safety Data Sheets (SDS) needed to be updated and presented in a standardized way.

Pickering Laboratories has been working for several months on updating our Safety Data Sheets to comply with new regulations. We encourage all of our customers to visit our website at www.pickeringlabs.com/library/material-safety-data-sheets/ and download new SDSs for your records.

We also spend a lot of time designing GHS-compliant labels for our products which proved not as easy as one might think!  A lot of our products come in small bottles and fitting all the required information was a tall order. We would like to particularly thank Anita Gribaldo, who was responsible for formatting the text for all our new labels, for her patience and perseverance. She has done a great job and we are really proud of our new look.

According to our updated Safety Data Sheets there are now a small number of Pickering products that require treatment as hazardous materials during shipment. Rebecca Smith, Tony McIsaac and I spend several days at IATA training learning more than we ever wanted to know about shipping lithium batteries, dry ice as well as chemicals like Thiofluor and OPA. We saw some graphic pictures of what can happen to lithium batteries if they are not packaged and shipped correctly so our new motto is “Friends don’t allow friends to ship lithium batteries without IATA certification”.

Please be assured that all chemicals leaving Pickering Laboratories are properly labeled, packaged and shipped according to DOT and IATA regulations.

Stay safe at home and at the work place!

Uncategorized

New Product Introduction – Sebum

Skin comes into contact with exogenous materials both intentionally and unintentionally.  These materials will interact with skin depending on the composition and properties of the skin surface film liquids. These surface liquids are mainly made up of eccrine sweat and sebum.  Sebum is an oily secretion produced by sebaceous glands, which are tiny ducts adjacent to hair follicles.  Sebum is secreted into the follicle, from which it spreads over the hair and skin.  The main role of sebum is to waterproof the skin and hair.  

Partitioning and diffusion of molecules in a topical use product within human sebum would influence the success or failure of this product. By doing quality testing during the development and production of cosmetics and other topical use products under artificial conditions, manufacturers can be assured of product performance in advance of consumer use.  Another use would be in evaluating the efficacy of home laundry products and conditions to remove stains from fabric.  Testing is not limited to fabric or topic use products and can be extended to anything that will come in contact with human skin.

Pickering Laboratories Inc. is now offering artificial sebum according to D4265-14 in 25 g quantities for product testing.  We also sell artificial eccrine perspiration and a variety of industry-specific perspiration formulations.  All formulations are available with an optional stabilizing preservative or at a custom pH to fit your specific needs.  Pickering Labs also produces proprietary custom formulations to meet individual customers’ in-house specifications. 

  • 1700-0700         Artificial Sebum (25 g)
  • 1700-0020         Artificial Eccrine Perspiration (Stabilized, 200 mL)
  • 1700-0022         Artificial Eccrine Perspiration (Non-Stabilized, 200 mL)

 Please visit our webpage at www.pickeringtestsolutions.com to see a full list of available products and part numbers. 

Uncategorized

The Origins of Trione

By Mike Gottschalk

Michael Pickering got the idea for Trione on his first day as a research chemist at Durrum Instruments back in 1976. While they were showing him their Amino Acid analysis instrument they opened the refrigerator to reveal the eluents and reagents in their reservoirs. One solution was red. He asked, “What’s the red stuff?” The reply was that it was the ninhydrin reagent. He asked, “Why is it red, ninhydrin isn’t red!” The answer was no one knew. He said, show me the instrument later, take me to documents, “I want to see the formula for the ninhydrin.” Seeing the formula reveal that Stan Moore’s recipe included Dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) as the essential water miscible organic solvent. While DMSO is a great solvent, it’s also reactive, and responsible for the secondary reactions that lead to the background red color.

Before join Durrum Instruments Michael had followed the work of George Olah in Carbonium ion chemistry. He’s the guy who developed “magic acid” which could protonate methane to make CH5+. His solvent of choice was sulfolane, a water miscible, non-reactive organic solvent.

The idea was born. However, Durrum Instruments had no interest in making consumables. The company where he next worked was Spectra Physics which also had no interest in making consumables. But on his starting interview with personal he was required to list his ideas that he thought were patentable. Number one was Trione.

Early on, he enlisted the help of Bertum Russel, a chemistry patent attorney to get the patent for Trione. Bertum’s conditions were “If you think you’re going to make money by licensing this I won’t waste your money, but if you are going to make it, I’ll get you a patent.”

That same year, Michael contacted Stan Moore at Rockefeller University to get his assessment after using Trione. Afterall, what better way to start a business than to have the endorsement of one of the researchers who developed the original ninhydrin. Stan said, “You should do well with this but I have post-docs making ninhydrin for me every day so I won’t need to buy it.”

Undeterred, Michael gave seminars and workshops thought the analytical community and soon acceptance by the analytical chemists made Trione the best in class ninhydrin for Amino Acid analysis it is today.