Government Chemist Research Articles

ANALYTICAL SCIENCE: WHAT IS THE UK UP TO?

“Maintaining a balance between wealth creation and the quality of life is central to some knotty questions for policy in food safety, consumer protection, environmental protection and consumer choice. Without a basis of regulation in sound science - we run the risk of damage to industrial competitiveness with no real gain for the consumer and the environment. Without an understanding of the basis of regulation in measurement and of the importance of regulatory science, public confidence in Government's approach will be more difficult to restore. There is good news for the Government in the strengthening of UK analytical science.” 1999 Annual Review of the Government Chemist

Management buyouts in the public sector

This article explores the particular issues associated with management buyouts from the public sector. As part of the general move towards making government departments more `market-orientated', some form of transformation process was adopted in an attempt to re-orient existing management, staff and organizations systems to the commercial practices used in the private sector. The aim was to make the unit a viable commercial entity with a convincing (to investors) track record. In particular, attention was focused on ascertaining that marketing and finance were in place at the time the buyout was proposed. The article is illustrated by five case studies—Chessington Computer Services Ltd, The Laboratory of the Government Chemist Ltd, FM Contract Services Ltd, CentreWest London Buses Ltd, and London General Buses Ltd.

Is accreditation useful for quality improvement?

The Laboratory of the Government Chemist (UK) and the Institute for Reference Measurements and Materials (Belgium) evaluated the correlation between accreditation and performance in proficiency tests. It was concluded that accreditation does not have the expected positive effect on the quality of laboratory results. In this journal discussions conducted on this subject during the CITAC workshop at Pittcon in 1998, were published. No satisfactory explanation for this phenomenon was put forward. In this article, it is proposed that the main effect of accreditation is a decrease of intralaboratory spread. The effect on the trueness of laboratory results is not significant due to the lack of certified reference materials and the low frequency of participation in proficiency tests. Proficiency tests cannot be used to find a correlation between accreditation status and quality without changing the set-up of the proficiency test.

Basic skills of analytical chemistry: do we take too much for granted?

This paper examines some questions which arose from the competition organised by the Laboratory of the Government Chemist in conjunction with the Nuffield Curriculum Projects Centre and from years of experience in higher education. It goes on to indicate the ways that some of these problems may be tackled.

International interlaboratory study of forensic ethanol standards

In March, 1996, CITAC (Cooperation on International Traceability in Analytical Chemistry) initiated a task to assess the comparability of the standards used in different countries. The Laboratory of the Government Chemist (LGC) acted as the project leader. Three certified solutions with nominal ethanol concentrations in water of 50, 80 and 200 mg per 100 ml were distributed to sixteen standards laboratories in Europe, Asia, North America and Australia. The laboratories analysed the solutions by methods of their choice and reported the results, together with measurement uncertainty data and other information such as accreditation status and level of experience. Six out of sixteen laboratories fully met the study target criteria of the mean results for all three solutions being within ±1% of the certified values. Participants were encouraged to assess the adequacy of their performance for their particular application. The paper reports the study protocol, the results of the interlaboratory comparison and discusses the results in the context of the metrological performance required to support routine measurement used for prosecution purposes.

The characterisation of an intertidal sediment from the Cumbrian coastline

The characterisation of an intertidal sediment, containing enhanced levels of radioactivity, collected from the Cumbrian coast of the U.K. by the Laboratory of the Government Chemist for the Department of the Environment is described. A wide variety of radiochemical and instrumental techniques were used including α-spectrometry, β-counting, liquid scintillation counting, γ-spectrometry, X-ray spectrometry and mass spectrometry. To derive mean values of the activity concentrations of radionuclides in the material, use was made of the technique developed by Woods and Munster. This technique first critically evaluates data for technical suitability. Then, to avoid excessive manipulation of data, calculation of the weighted (the statistical weighting is the inverse of the squared uncertainties, limited so that no one result contributes more than 50%) and unweighted means is performed, along with a χ 2 test. If the value of χ 2/( n−1)<2, the weighted mean is accepted, otherwise a choice was made between the weighted or unweighted mean. This is done by considering if the uncertainties of both means overlapped, in which case the weighted mean was accepted and the unweighted mean if not. This enabled the derivation of a mean value, even if the data appeared to be inconsistent. In this paper, the history of the material is reviewed and the data analysis technique delineated. Data are presented for the activity concentrations of 21 radionuclides, with >2 determinations, 3 with 2 determinations and 2 with single determinations. Emphasis is placed where data appeared to be discrepant (e.g. 40K and 137Cs), where widely different measurement techniques were employed (e.g. the actinides), where there were analytical “difficulties” (e.g. uranium) or where the radionuclide is not commonly measured (e.g. 155Eu, 237Np and 241Pu). The material is now available to laboratories as a reference material and it is anticipated that it will be used to validate existing procedures and to research new methods of analysis.

The certification of a new paint reference material

The use of paint as a coating for toys intended for sale on the European market is controlled by a European Standard (EN 71-3: 1994-European Standard for the Safety of Toys, Part 3—Migration of Elements). This work is the result of a preliminary study organised by the European Commission to produce a new paint reference material which can be used to validate the test methods given in the European Standard. The migration of elements from painted panels and comminuted paint produced by the Laboratory of the Government Chemist, (U.K.) was studied. Several methods were used in this certification exercise and this work reports the recults of neutron activation analysis and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to determine the migration of As, Ba, Cd, Cr, Hg, Pb, Se and Sb into a simulated stomach environment. Replicate extracts obtained from paint samples gave a precision of within 10% for most elements by both analytical techniques for the paint panels and for the comminuted paint sample. This preliminary study has shown that the standard method can provide reproducible results for each of the paint materials studied and indicates that the study should be continued to produce a fully certified paint reference material.

Government: U.K.'s Laboratory of the Government Chemist to privatize

Government: U.K.'s Laboratory of the Government Chemist to privatize

Extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from highly contaminated soils using microwave energy

Microwave energy, generated in a commercial microwave system designed for extraction of organic samples, has been used for the extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from highly contaminated land samples. Initial studies used a native soil and compared a 20 min microwave extraction with a 6 h conventional Soxhlet extraction (both using dichloromethane) with comparable results. The low concentration of PAHs found in the soil resulted in large relative standard deviation (sr) values for the individual PAHs (maximum of 60.9% for microwave extraction). A second soil, with higher PAH levels, was microwave extracted using both dichloromethane and different compositions of an acetone–hexane mixture and compared with Soxhlet extraction. The results indicate that microwave extraction using pure acetone is a more efficient procedure than other combinations studied. A repeatability study gave an sr value for the total PAHs extracted of 2.4%(n= 6). A central composite experimental design was used to elucidate optimum operating parameters but variations in temperature, extraction time and solvent volume were found to have little effect on recovery. The over-all sr for the design was 5.34% illustrating no statistical significance in recovery. A third, Laboratory of the Government Chemist, test soil was used which indicated that the soil matrix was the greatest factor affecting PAH recovery.

Thermal standards from the laboratory of the government chemist

The Laboratory of the Government Chemist (LGC) is a focal point for the production, analysis and certification of reference materials. Within the field of thermal analysis the LGC is concerned with the development of purity standards and materials certified for enthalpy of fusion and melting point. For some time the LGC has been concerned with the significant differences in purity data which can be produced by the different manufactures' differential scanning calorimeters. This paper will highlight the initiatives the LGC is undertaking in overcoming this uncertainty in purity measurements through the use of certified thermal standards.

Enthalpy of fusion and temperature of fusion of indium, and redetermination of the enthalpy of fusion of tin

The molar enthalpy and temperature of fusion of a very pure sample of indium have been determined by adiabatic-shield calorimetry for the Laboratory of the Government Chemist, U.K. with the result: Δ fus H m = (3296±9) J·mol -1. Fractional-enthalpy-of-fusion determinations over the region (13.4 to 88.0) per cent molten indium are consistent with a mole fraction of (solid-insoluble but liquid-soluble) impurity of about 2·10 -7 and T u = (429.753±0.02) K. The present value for the molar enthalpy of fusion is 13 J·mol -1 higher than obtained earlier. A redetermination of the enthalpy of fusion of tin was therefore made. The resulting molar enthalpy of fusion is Δ fus H m = (7179±15)J·mol -1. This value is 16 J·mol -1 lower than obtained for a similar sample 18 a ago. The differences thus seem to indicate that the systematic errors are somewhat larger than expected at the time.

Implementation of a quality assurance scheme in an environmental radiochemical laboratory in preparation for accreditation by the National Measurement Accreditation Service (NAMAS)

The Laboratory of the Government Chemist is undertaking a programme to improve the validity of analytical measurement in the United Kingdom and to achieve wide mutual acceptance of analytical data in Europe. Within this programme, the accreditation of laboratories by the National Measurement Accreditation Service (NAMAS) is strongly advised and supported. An account is given of how NAMAS is seen from a laboratory worker's point of view, reflecting the regulations and criteria necessary for accreditation. The paper then outlines a programme of work that the Environmental Radiochemistry Section at the Laboratory of the Government Chemist put forward for accreditation. Staged implementation of a quality assurance scheme is covered, giving a comprehensive insight into the issues that need to be addressed by an environmental radiochemical laboratory to meet accreditation.

New Scope for Sensors in Safety and Health Care

A UK market of about £295 million over the next five years for advanced sensors and instruments in health and safety is envisaged in a new report commissioned by the Laboratory of the Government Chemist as part of the Government's Advanced Sensors Technology Transfer Programme (ASTTP). Good prospects are also seen in another new ASTTP report on advanced sensors in the healthcare sector. The two reports were introduced at the fourth annual seminar on Advanced Sensors organized by ERA Technology on 10 November 1992.

The opening address to SAC '92—Laboratory of the Government Chemist, past and future

The opening address to SAC '92—Laboratory of the Government Chemist, past and future

E. Buncel and J. R. Jones(Eds). Isotopes in the physical and biomedical sciences. Vol. 1, labelled compounds (Part B). Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1991, pp. 444, US $215. ISBN 0 444 89186 2

Magnetic Resonance in ChemistryVolume 30, Issue 9 p. 913-913 Book Review E. Buncel and J. R. Jones(Eds). Isotopes in the physical and biomedical sciences. Vol. 1, labelled compounds (Part B). Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1991, pp. 444, US $215. ISBN 0 444 89186 2 C. P. Richards, Laboratory of the Government Chemist, Teddington, UKSearch for more papers by this author C. P. Richards, Laboratory of the Government Chemist, Teddington, UKSearch for more papers by this author First published: September 1992 https://doi.org/10.1002/mrc.1260300923AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onEmailFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume30, Issue9September 1992Pages 913-913 RelatedInformation

SAC 92 and 150th Anniversary of the laboratory of the government chemist

SAC 92 and 150th Anniversary of the laboratory of the government chemist

150 years of the Laboratory of the Government Chemist

The first page of this article is displayed as the abstract.

New Government Chemist

New Government Chemist

Atta-Ur-Rahman. Handbook of natural products data, Vol. 1. Diterpenoid and Steroidal Alkaloids. Elsevier, Amsterdam

Magnetic Resonance in ChemistryVolume 29, Issue 1 p. 92-92 Book Review Atta-Ur-Rahman. Handbook of natural products data, Vol. 1. Diterpenoid and Steroidal Alkaloids. Elsevier, Amsterdam C. P. Richards, C. P. Richards Laboratory of the Government Chemist, Queen's Road, Teddington, Middlesex TW11 OLYSearch for more papers by this author C. P. Richards, C. P. Richards Laboratory of the Government Chemist, Queen's Road, Teddington, Middlesex TW11 OLYSearch for more papers by this author First published: January 1991 https://doi.org/10.1002/mrc.1260290118AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume29, Issue1January 1991Pages 92-92 RelatedInformation

SAC 92 and 150th anniversary of the laboratory of the government chemist

SAC 92 and 150th anniversary of the laboratory of the government chemist