Although Pittcon is no longer a must-attend meeting for some (that would include Agilent and PerkinElmer), there are still plenty of analytical instrument companies that wouldn’t miss it. There are also roughly 9,000 analytical scientists here in Philadelphia who feel similarly.

In slightly smaller quarters this year, the exhibit hall is packed with companies from around the globe plying their wares to scientists who seem to be interested in more than just browsing. And there is plenty of new stuff for them to covet.

Bruker introduced a number of new products, including the EVOQ™ Qube and Elite: The new LC-triple quadrupole (LC-TQ) mass spectrometers are similar to Bruker’s SCION GC-TQ platform introduced in 2011, Bruker reports, in that they feature significant advances in robustness, ease of methods developments, and productivity. The EVOQ platform was designed for a singular purpose, according to Bruker, and that is “to very reliably quantify thousands of real samples with fast sample-to-report time.”

Bruker also launched the COMPACT Qq-TOF, a bench-top accurate mass Qq-TOF LC-MS/MS system providing high sensitivity and enhanced dynamic range. This product is geared toward the nonexpert user.

Yesterday afternoon, ACD/Labs reported the culmination of a project announced at Pittcon two years ago: this year it reported the commercial availability of ACD/Spectrus DB. This database is at the core of the Spectrus integrated analytical and chemical knowledge management platform. In 2011, the company announced plans for the new Spectrus DB platform at Pittcon, and last year it launched Spectrus Workbooks at the meeting.

Also announcing a new product late yesterday was Beckman Coulter Life Sciences, which introduced the DelsaMax family of products. According to the company, DelsaMax particle analyzers measure the size and zeta potential of nanoparticles with substantial speed and high precision. Instruments in the family utilize two independent detection systems that operate in parallel—a configuration that significantly streamlines workflows in biological, chemical, material, and polymer science applications.

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