Analytical Chemistry

In analytical chemistry, separation techniques are a set of sample preparation steps that increase the concentration of a target analyte in a sample by eliminating some portion of the impurities.  The impurities may be other substances also present in the sample, or they may be components of the matrix through which the analytes must pass before analysis.  The purified target is then subjected to the second part of the analytical chemistry process: identification and quantification, which involves either identifying the purified target by matching its retention time and fragmentation pattern with those of a known standard (in HPLC) or quantifying its concentration by comparing the amount of light emitted from a known volume of the purified target with that from a standard solution (in LC-MS/MS).

Separation techniques can be divided into two major categories:

chromatographic and electrophoretic.  Chromatographic techniques include gas, liquid and supercritical fluid chromatography, while electrophoretic techniques include capillary electrophoresis and field-flow fractionation.  The choice of technique often depends on the physical properties of the analytes, such as their size, charge and affinity to solvent.

Analytical chemistry offered at LabSPACE focuses on several fields using FTIR, UHPLC, UHPLC-MS and ELISA platforms for services in clinical chemistry, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural fields.

Clinical chemistry is the section of laboratory medicine that is concerned with measurements of amounts of biologically important substances found within humans (E.g., blood/plasma / Serum/urine/CSF-Cerebrospinal fluid).  It can either measure the administered compound (pharmacokinetics) or monitor the effect on specific biomarkers (pharmacodynamics).  It is a quantitative science that must be carried out carefully to provide accurate assessments.  Methods of measuring these substances are carefully designed to provide accurate results.

Good analytical chemistry services are essential for the success of any company, be it in governmental laboratories or small and large-scale operations.  The South African pharmaceutical industry is no different and has grown significantly over the past few decades.  Analytical chemistry labs in South Africa helps to test the purity, weight, and content of several different types of drugs and are important for controlling medication quality.  Pharmaceutical products in South Africa must be evaluated for their active components, impurities and degradation products.  LabSPACE focuses on post-importation testing, stability assessments, and toxicology (drugs of abuse) in the pharmaceutical field.  Post-importation testing of pharmaceutical products in South Africa aims to determine whether a medicinal product that has been imported into or supplied in the country meets the requirements of the Medicines and Related Substances Act before it is made available to patients and were not compromised during the shipment process.  Stability assessments in climatic chambers are required for all medicide, but new regulation now requires complementary medicines also to have their stability assessed and displayed in the packet leaflet.  LabSPACE Africa is also involved in testing drugs of abuse in collaboration with AXIOSEED Medical.  Government regulations in the pharmaceutical field are generally stringent, and audits occur after every step in the process (manufacturing, packaging, storage, transport).

Different applications within the agriculture industry.

Analytical Chemistry has a variety of different applications within the agriculture industry.  This includes testing for the quality of produce, determining the purity of source material and evaluation of contaminants in various products such as animal feed, food products, chemical reagents, fertilizers.  It is essential to ensure foodstuffs are not contaminated with biological toxins, toxic trace materials or prohibited biological compounds like growth hormones and steroids.

LabSPACE Africa is an analytical chemistry laboratory in South Africa that provides contract analytical services to pharmaceutical companies worldwide.  LabSPACE has an extensive range of equipment capabilities, including SMIMADZU UHPLC and UHPLC spectrometer and Perkin Elmer Plate reader.  LabSPACE Africa was established in 2021 with its first Laboratory in Midrand, Gauteng.  LabSPACE also works closely with companies like AXIOLOGY Labs, Shimadzu, Perkin Elmer, Inception Biosciences, Pathogen DX and the Pharmacology department of Stellenbosch University.

LabSPACE Africa provides various services to the analytical science community.  It offers routine analysis of samples as well as custom services such as method development and research collaborations in the pharmaceutical, chemicals, agricultural, clinical and foods industries.  Visit our website or contact us via email to discuss your analytical chemistry needs.