Other services we can offer

Introducing the latest addition to the DNA laboratory instrument portfolio:DNAL have just purchased and installed the Agilent 6470 Triple Quadrupole HPLC system. The system is Agilent’s newest instrument in the range, offering enhanced sensitivity with detection limits below femtogram level.  Alongside the Agilent Jet Stream technology, which uses super-heated nitrogen to improve ion generation and desolvation providing greater signal and reduced noiseThe instrument offers a jet stream source to produce ESI data with enhanced sensitivity and an APCI technique which will ionise more difficult molecules, and allows for the use of normal phase chromatography. This technique allows DNAL to quantify individual chiral isomers of compounds below µg/Kg levels.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact David or Kirsty Norris with any questions in relation to future studies.

Our other specialist profiling tool is Headspace GC-MSD which allows us to screen for and identify any volatile components in Technical Material. The volatile components such as solvents in the Technical Material are increasingly scrutinised by the registration authorities as some of these can be hidden from most analytical techniques. Volatiles are often present in technical materials and by screening for them at the initial profiling stage you will stay ahead of any future legislation on volatile components.

Differential Scanning Calorimetry, to classify if product is self reactive and/or explosive as per ECHA Technical Agreements for Biocides.

We have invested in an Agilent 6530 LC-QToF. This instrument allows us to identify and quantify unknown impurities within Technical and Formulated materials and pesticides to a high level of mass accuracy.

The Agilent LC-QToF MS system provides accurate mass analyses for a variety of analytical applications including profiling, identification, characterization, and quantification of both small and large molecules, together with advanced accurate-mass software processing tools. The Q-ToF Mass Spectrometer can be used with one of three sources connected. The three sources consist of a Jet-Stream ElectroSpray Ionisation (ESI) source, an Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization (APCI) source and a Multi-Mode source, which is capable of combined ESI and APCI analysis.

Thermal Energy Analysis (or TEA) for the analysis of Technical Materials and formulation for the presence  of nitrosamines. By using the instrument in combination with wet chemical reactions we can break down all of the nitrosamines into NO gas allowing the TEA to assay for total nitrosamines down to a level of 0.1mg/kg or mg/L. With our new Ellutia 800 series instrument we are constantly lowering the amounts that we can achieve so call us if you need to detect lower concentrations. We can also resolve complex chemistry such as volatile and non volatile nitrosamines analysis in Pendimethalin.

This technique can be used to screen technical materials for the content of Cations and Anions. It is routinely forgotten that many salts are formed during the synthesis of organic molecules. These can leave holes in the profile of a technical material and mean that you cannot meet the regulatory closure. By screening the salts we can often complete the profile of a technical material enabling a complete 5 batch study.

The ICP-OES allows samples to be assayed for a list of elements present in the sample. This is typically used to determine the content of heavy metals and other often cationic non metals which can influence the results both in terms of profile closure and safety. Many countries now require synthetic organic herbicides to be screened for a list of heavy metals and those must be presented to allow a material to be imported.

David Norrishas extensive knowledge of product registration within the Agrochemical industry. We routinely act as a chemical expert to review five batch and storage stability study reports. This service can often resolve questions from regulators or stop questions being asked by adding additional details to reports before submission.

We have recently successfully completed a five batch study on a natural oil. Please contact us if you have a similar requirement and we will be happy to help you.

DNAL can offer a wide variety of variation by HPLC.  DNAL routinely conduct both normal and reverse phase HPLC analysis.  We can offer UV absorbance, DAD (PDA), Fluorescence and RI detection.  

DNAL have recently purchased a new ELSD which is providing excellent results for Biocidal Products.

DNAL have a wealth of experience in chiral separation.  We own a significant and constantly growing array of both normal phase and reverse phase columns for chiral separation.  DNAL have successfully measured chiral ratios of active ingredients in many formulation types. We can even offer normal phase chiral separation with LCQToF accurate mass specificity to meet all types of regulatory guidelines.

DNAL offer an enhanced range of Inter Lab Validation (ILV) studies to meet the European registration requirements. As the lead analytical laboratory, the 6470 LC-QQQ can assay water samples at sub µg/L levels without the need for additional concentration, making validations easily reproduced. When working as the confirmation laboratory the high sensitivity of the methods allow DNAL to easily meet the requirements of validations conducted with older and less sensitive technology.  The other benefit to our customers is the use of the instrument for specified impurities in formulated products. The Regulatory decision to request many of the specified impurities at levels relative to the concentration in the active ingredient, has made it difficult to obtain methods to find the impurities and even more difficult to validate the methodologies. In our first development of an impurity method using the 6470, it provides a %RSD of 0.68 at a concentration of 50µg/L. Therefore we anticipate easily meeting the validation requirements for many of the low level formulation impurities using the instrument.

DNAL have recent invested in a Pulsar NMR.

The Pulsar is a high resolution, 60MHz benchtop NMR spectrometer, providing high quality 1-D and 2-D NMR spectra. The electronics used in this new system allow for data generation comparable to 300MHz systems.

The Pulsar uses a permanent magnet which means that it requires neither liquid helium nor liquid nitrogen. Advanced, automatic shimming produces a highly homogeneous magnetic field meaning that Pulsar is suitable for use in almost any uses for materials identification.

The Pulsar system can be used for NMR Spectral data for the Brazilian ABNT NBTR 14029;2016 requirements, for spectral data in five batch analysis to create technical equivalent data.

The Pulsar system offers the ability to specify the isomeric orientations using COSY, NOESY and TOCSY. This allows for clarification of the Isomeric ratios of pure chiral materials. When use in conjunction with our normal phase LC-QtoF and fraction collection systems, it is possible to assess and isolate complex chiral isomers.

DNAL work closely with Manufacturers who need to quickly establish whether there is cross contamination during their agrochemical manufacturing process.

Our experienced analytical team can work closely with Manufacturers to minimize down time in the production process, quickly identifying cross contamination issues.