Building reliability from the start: Standard and sample preparation solutions

Accurate trace metals analysis starts long before your samples reach the instrument. In Part 1 of this educational series, we explore the critical role that standard and sample preparation play in achieving reliable, reproducible results.

This session provides an overview of the trace metals analysis workflow, identifying common challenges and bottlenecks that lead to inefficiencies, systematic errors, and contamination. Our application expert will provide best practices for the overall workflow including standard and sample prep and handling while our guest speakers from Elemental Scientific (ESI) Inc. and CEM Corporation highlight the benefits of their latest standard preparation, sample dilution, and microwave digestion systems. 

What You’ll Learn:

• Best practices across the workflow – How to minimize errors, inefficiencies, and contamination that compromise results.
• Standard preparation insights – Tips on apparatus selection for trace and ultra-trace determinations, plus strategies for streamlining solution handling and transfers.
• Automation in action – Guest speaker from ESI will discuss the future of autodilution and autocalibration highlighting their innovative prepFAST 3 system offering greater than 1000x dilution, reduced clogs, and smarter QC and data reporting. 
• Sample preparation methods – A comparison of traditional hot plate and hot block digestion techniques, with pros and cons to guide your lab’s approach.
• Next-generation digestion technology – Our guest speaker from CEM Corporation will present on the importance of sample preparation and the latest microwave-assisted acid digestion solutions, showing how digestion times can be reduced from hours to minutes. You’ll also gain practical tips for successful microwave digestion.
• Streamlined sample dilution – Learn from ESI about the new TRAXStation and how it reduces manual handlling and associated errors through automation of essential prepration steps, including uncapping, barcode reading, and post-digestion processing to support reliable traceability, enhance safety, and ensure consistent quality for subsequent ICP-OES and ICP-MS analyses. 

By the end of this session, you’ll have a clear understanding of how to set your lab up for success with the right preparation techniques, tools, and automation solutions.

Why Attend?

• Gain expert insights into where errors and inefficiencies most often occur in the trace metals analysis workflow.
• Learn practical, proven techniques to optimize both standard and sample preparation.
• See the latest innovations from leading solution providers (ESI and CEM Corporation).
• Walk away with tips, tricks, and tools you can immediately apply in your lab.
• Build a strong foundation for the next steps in the webinar series covering ICP-OES and ICP-MS analysis.

Who Should Attend?

• ICP-MS and ICP-OES analysts, chemists, and laboratory managers throughout industry looking for tips and solutions to streamline standard and sample preparations and sample dilutions. 

Presenter: Marshall Allin (Technical Sales Specialist, Trace Elemental Analysis, Thermo Fisher Scientific)

Marshall Allin is a seasoned professional with 14 years of experience in elemental analysis, specializing in ICP-MS and ICP-OES instruments. His extensive background includes roles as an Analytical Chemist, Field Service Engineer, and Application Scientist. Currently, he serves as the Technical Sales Specialist for the Trace Elemental product line at Thermo Fisher Scientific, giving him a comprehensive understanding of the technology from every angle.

Presenter: Tyler Herek, PhD (Director of R&D for Laboratory Automation, Elemental Scientific)

Dr. Tyler Herek is the Director of Research and Development for Laboratory Automation at Elemental Scientific, helping drive innovation in automated sample preparation and introduction for analytical instrumentation. He earned his PhD as a National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) fellow at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Presenter: Michael Howe (Elemental Product Manager, CEM Corporation)

Michael “Howie” Howe is the Elemental Product Manager for CEM Corporation. Howie earned a degree in Chemistry from North Carolina State University and gained experience in the Environmental and Pharmaceutical industries prior to joining CEM. In his more than 20 years at CEM, Howie has been instrumental in helping customers solve the ever-changing needs and challenges of microwave digestion.

Presenter: Stasia Vannoni, PhD (Senior Scientist, Elemental Scientific, Inc.)

Dr. Stasia Vannoni leads the prepFAST3 autodilutor analytical group at Elemental Scientific, where she specializes in the development and optimization of automated sample preparation systems for elemental analysis. She earned her PhD in Analytical Chemistry from Iowa State University, conducting research on advancing single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) methodologies.

Presenter: Sabrina Antonio (Regional Marketing Manager, Trace Elemental Analysis and Inorganic Mass Spectrometry, Thermo Fisher Scientific)

Sabrina Antonio holds a BS in Chemical Engineering and leads the regional marketing strategy, leveraging over 25 years of diverse experience in chemical engineering and analytical instrumentation. Her professional background includes roles as an industrial chemist, US EPA Contract Laboratory Program Lead Auditor, Senior Chemical Engineer and Construction Project Manager at major power utilities, and Product Specialist for atomic spectroscopy instrumentation.