Category Archives: Gas Chromatography
In analytical chemistry for ETOH and Drugs of Abuse determination, it is very true that the matrix is all around us but truly is ignored
March 15, 2010 by Justin McShane
Keanu Reeves in the movie The Matrix noted that the matrix is all around us, you just haven’t chosen to see it. He had no idea that his statement would hold true in analytical testing for ETOH and drugs of abuse testing in DUI prosecution as well. The matrix is the substrate form which we [...]
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I have posted before on Gas Chromatography and its principles. Gas Chromatography and why is it is so important to Pennsylvania DUI arrests Crimping a Headspace Vial in Gas Chromatography: How not putting the "lid on the jar" can lead to disaster in a DUI case A large problem in Gas Chromatography: No uniform standard [...]
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If he was an analytical chemist or a DUI defense attorney he would say “Show me the separation!!”
March 8, 2010 by Justin McShane
Who can forget Cuba Gooding Junior in the movie Jerry McGuire shouting “SHOW ME THE MONEY!”??? If he was an analytical chemist or a DUI defense attorney facing a purported result from a Headspace Gas Chromatograph with a Flame Ionization Detector, he would yell: “SHOW ME THE SEPARATION!!!!!!” Well, that is one of the things that a [...]
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The Carryover Effect: Lack of Blanks between tests leads to false positive or inflated BAC results
March 3, 2010 by Justin McShane
Imagine. You go into your doctor’s office for a routine physical. As part of that routine physical, the doctor takes your blood. You come back two weeks later where the doctor delivers the single worst sentence you have ever heard in your life: “I’m sorry but you have cancer.” Then comes ever worse news from [...]
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Why saying the sample was run on a gas chromatograph is nearly meaningless
February 8, 2010 by Justin McShane
Saying the sampling was done on a Gas Chromatograph is like saying that you won a car. Both description are useful in that they help differentiate. In the case of all vehicles, it is useful to distinguish cars from trucks or motorcycles. Whereas in the case of chemical testing, it is useful to distinguish gas [...]
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A large problem in Gas Chromatography: No uniform standard for GC run position or composition
February 5, 2010 by Justin McShane
I try to learn everything that I can about analytical testing. Not being a scientist and only being a lawyer, I am an outsider to this fascinating world. I find that as I learn more, more questions present themselves. As an outsider last year l learned something that really kind of surprised me. When Gas [...]
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