Question

In industry, time is money. Each analysis requires a specified amount of time. If each analytical run requires 2 minutes, what is the minimum amount of time required to sufficiently analyze a single sample? Consider all parts of the analysis from calibration to quality assurance. Explain where all of the time is used.

Answer 1

In industry every type of compound or sample requires different kinds of analysis. What methods would be suitable for one type of compound may not be appropriate for another kind of compound. Lets say we have a general organic/inorganic compound which needs to be analyzed. The sample after synthesis is first analysed for its purity.

Methods employed thus are,

1. Melting point/boiling point [sharper the m.p/b.p is purer is the material] ....2 min

2. NMR ....8 min

(i) 1H NMR...2 min

(ii) 13C NMR ---2min

(iii) dept .....2min

(iv) 2-D NMR .....2min

3. Mass spectroscopic analysis ....2 min

4. Optical purity [If optically active sample] ....2 min

5. elemental analysis ....8 min

(i) C ....2 min

(ii) H ....2 min

(iii) N/S .... 2min

(iv) metals ....2 min

6. HPLC .....2 min

7. Decomposition studies for the stability of sample

(i) Moisture ....2 min

(ii) thermal ....2 min

(iii) light ....2 min

(iv) Oxidative/reductive ....2min

8. clinical studies

(i) stage - I ....2 min

(ii) stage - II ...2min

(iii) stage --III ....2 min

So overall the analysis in general would take 38 min [remember this is a rough estimation only, in actual sample analysis it takes much longer per run, with some runs are over a wide range of time, may be months like clinical trials of pharamceutical samples].