Microwave digestion is widely recognized as the most robust sample prep technique for AA, ICP-OES, or ICP-MS analyses. Microwave digestion involves combining the sample matrix and acids in a pressurized container and elevating the solution past the boiling point of the acid which significantly accelerates the digestion. Given the high operating temperatures and pressures, microwave digestion can be applied to a much wider range of samples (environmental, agriculture, consumer products, food and feed, pharmaceutical products and more) to produce a clear digestate.

Chromatography analysis requires some form of sample preparation. A critical step in the overall analytical procedure is the extraction of the compounds of interest from the sample matrix. The new Milestone ETHOS X equipped with the FastEX-24 rotor is an advanced microwave extraction system offering the best technology currently available for GC, GC-MS and HPLC sample preparation.

Ideal for analyzing diverse samples, the Milestone DMA-80 can be scaled to handle any matrix—solids, liquids and gases—giving chemists a new ability to analyze a wide range of concentrations both accurately and consistently. Just as important, the DMA-80 is easy to use,offering push-button operation, no sample prep and internal monitoring levels of safety and convenience. For over a thousand labs around the world, that’s innovation delivered, over and over again.

The Milestone Clean Chemistry Line is an innovative and complete portfolio of systems and accessories for reducing and controlling the analytical blank in ultra-trace elemental analysis. There is a growing awareness that sample preparation should evolve to the same standards of the most modern analytical techniques, such as ICP-MS, and there are a number of factors that can critically impact the quality of the data including the purity of the reagents, the cleanliness of the material in contact with the sample and the sample preparation method.

Microwave chemical synthesis has become a method of choice for chemists throughout so many industries. The benefits over the last 20 years make this a first choice to doing research. The technology allows synthesis to be done faster and cleaner with reduced solvent consumption as a “greener” process. Milestone’s synthesis product suite provides a number of options to meet research needs: high-throughput productivity, small-scale research, high-temperature and pressure parameters and larger-scale capabilities.

The application of microwave technology to ashing procedures has resulted in a significant improvement in internal quality control and in some cases sample preparation procedures. While many laboratories still use a traditional muffle furnance or electrical furnaces to ash samples for process control purposes, these techniques can be time-consuming – often taking hours per run.