In August the only water you may be thinking about is the nearest pool. Yet, as National Water Quality Month, the reality is not all of our water supply is equal in quality. Did you know that each year in the US, by July 1, your local water supplier should provide your household with a water quality report? Your water quality report (or drinking water quality report) summarizes the sources from which your water originates (such as rivers, lakes, reservoirs, etc) and contaminants detected, as well as includes compliance and educational information.
Because poor water quality not only impacts our personal health but also affects scientific research, Cole-Parmer offers effective water quality solutions. As scientists and researchers, take a moment to consider the quality of water in your laboratory to ensure the integrity of your applications. Consider a water purification system if your incoming water quality is poor.
As personal consumers, take a moment to learn about the quality of water in your community and in your household. For more information regarding water quality, and tips on safe drinking water at home, visit the website for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): http://water.epa.gov/
It was once called Dominion Day but since 1982 July 1 is recognized as Canada Day. Fireworks, parties, concerts, parades, picnics, and fairs celebrate Canada’s birthday.
Cole- Parmer’s Canada office based in Montreal is hosting fellow United Kingdom colleague Lyssa Durham for the rest of the week as part of an office exchange program. Lyssa will be spending her first Canada Day in Montreal taking in the parade downtown.
“I’ve spent the last ten days here in Montreal. The office is fantastic and I’ve been getting to know the real Montreal, including their fine food and entertainment,” said Durham.
Another Canada office staff member will be spending the holiday camping in Mont-Tremblant. Cole-Parmer wishes all of our friends and colleagues north of the border a happy and celebratory Canada Day!
Not only is June National Dairy Month, but one of the largest food shows in the industry begins in just a few days. The Cole-Parmer booth at IFT® in New Orleans will feature efficient new products for food scientists and processors:
The breakthrough picoSpin™ Benchtop NMR Spectrometer from Cole-Parmer is the world’s first miniature NMR spectrometer. The 45-MHz picoSpin spectrometer is affordable, portable, and easy to use.
The new Atago® Programmable Digital Refractometers with Touch Screen have a built-in thermomodule to ensure accuracy while also eliminating the need for a water bath circulator. Use this fully featured device to determine the refractive index of citrus, animal, or vegetable oils, and more. Take precise Brix measurements of fruit and concentrated juices, canned syrups, liquid sugars, and glucose with a Brix range of 0.00 to 100.00%.
The Oakton® Benchtop pH 700 Series Meters offer a compact footprint more than 40% smaller than similar benchtop meters―saving valuable space in the research lab. Visit the booth to see their oversized LCDs, with optimal visibility even at a distance. Instruments for food quality and safety testing will also be available, including viscometers, thermometers, and more.
What’s in it for you? Each day one raffle winner will receive a New Orleans Gift Pack valued at more than $200. The bags include a variety of “survive and thrive in New Orleans” items including a cooler, water bottle, gift certificate, and more. Register to win.
Are you concerned about fluoride in your tap water? Some people believe fluoride in drinking water is harmful, others believe it is safe and actually beneficial in maintaining dental hygiene.
Either way, you can test your fluoride level with the pocket fluoride tester from Extech, available through Cole-Parmer. The Extech fluoride pocket tester is handheld and easy to use. Anyone can use it to measure the concentration of fluoride in household tap water.
The Extech Waterproof FL700 Pocket Fluoride Tester is IP57-rated and designed for quick and accurate measurement of fluoride ions in drinking water and other aqueous samples. Also, here’s a helpful video to illustrate how to calibrate the pocket fluoride tester and how to perform a quick test of fluoride ions in your water sample.
Let us know what you think. Do you believe fluoride in tap water is harmful, or beneficial in reducing cavities?
On a day when green is the theme, Cole-Parmer affirms its commitment to conducting business in an environmentally and socially responsible manner.
We’ve taken steps to upgrade our warehouse with eco-friendly materials to reduce waste and conserve energy. These include using eco-friendly shipping materials and eco-friendly packaging, along with recycling and reducing our energy consumption.
And, we continue to grow even greener. Recently, Cole-Parmer released its 2011/12 General Catalog, produced from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper. FSC is an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests.
We invite our customers to join us “in the green” by recycling and reusing packing materials, including cardboard, paper tape, packing peanuts, and bubble wrap, received in shipments.
The 45-MHz picoSpin spectrometer resolves proton chemical shifts with a resolution of 100 parts per billion using a very small sample volume of less than 20 microliters. Liquid samples are simply injected into an internal capillary via front-panel fittings.
“We have engineered an innovative and disruptive technology that changes the NMR spectroscopy landscape. With its low price, compact footprint and true spectroscopic capability, the picoSpin-45 spectrometer enables applications that could not be considered in the past,” said John Price, Ph.D., president and chief scientist of picoSpin, LLC.
The picoSpin-45 NMR Spectrometer is a finalist in the Science & Medical – Diagnostic Aids category, one of twelve categories honored by the Edison Awards.
The complete liquid-phase proton NMR system includes permanent magnet, transmitter, receiver, data acquisition, programmable pulse sequencer, Ethernet interface, and intuitive web-based control software.
All new! The Masterflex® L/S® Precision Variable-Speed Console Drive features a digital display that ensures accuracy and repeatability in fluid metering applications. This new model will be displayed at the Cole-Parmer® booth at PITTCON, March 13–March 18.
The drive offers precise speed control and digital display of rpm to confirm speed setting at a glance. A reversible motor enables users to purge tubing before or after pumping; LED indicators confirm motor direction. Users achieve flow rates of 0.6 to 3400 mL/min with Masterflex L/S pump tubing. A powerful motor will drive two or four pump heads for increased flow rates and for multichannel applications. The membrane keypad offers easy up-front control of speed, direction, and start/stop. Drives also offer remote control capability via 4 to 20 mA or 0 to 10 V input signal.
Get mobile access to Cole-Parmer’s Chemical Compatibility Database. Every day thousands of scientists, engineers, and technicians need to determine chemical compatibility for storage, transport, and use. Finding the right material compatibility enhances safety and saves money.
This app leverages years of research on chemical compatibility for plastics, metals, Elastomers and ceramics. It contains more than 24,528 entries, covering 584 chemicals, and 42 materials. It is the single most comprehensive Chemical Compatibility Database in the world―and it is now available for your iPhone and iPad.
The database’s easy-to-use interface allows you to search in a variety of different ways to get the results you need for your project. If you can’t find the chemical or material you’re looking for, just use the included call button to contact our FREE applications specialists for help.
On the eve of the eve of the New Year, Cole-Parmer wishes all of our customers a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous 2011. As we launch into a brand spanking new year, here are a few up-and-coming events:
Cole-Parmer releases 2011/12 General Catalog
Look for this biggest-in-two-years catalog (with more than 2,600 pages) in late February. Featuring a broad selection of fluid handling, industrial process, laboratory research, and electrochemistry products, the catalog also includes information about technical assistance, database tools, calibration services, and more. Choose from innovative technologies as well as time-tested favorites—from top brand names.
Cole-Parmer exhibits at the 2011 Pittcon® Conference & Expo in Atlanta, GA
The Georgia World Congress Center is the site for Pittcon 2011, the world’s largest annual conference and exposition for laboratory science. Look for the Cole-Parmer booth (#835), where you can view some of the latest products featured in the new 2011/12 General Catalog and meet with product managers, application specialists, and more. The event runs March 13-18.
Meet Cole-Parmer at INTERPHEX New York, March 29-31
Find your way to booth #2977 at the Jacob J. Javits Convention Center to view demonstrations specifically for the pharmaceutical and biomedical industries. We look forward to seeing you there!
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), flu activity is picking up. In most years, flu activity peaks in January or February but can vary from year to year. With the winter months approaching, you can take precautions to protect yourself from the virus.
Hand sanitizers can kill bacteria and viruses within 15 seconds of contact. Keep our 64-oz Antiseptic Hand Cleanser nearby, even when soap and water aren’t available. It meets OSHA standards and contains aloe vera to prevent drying. Another option is the Bacdown® Gel No-Rinse Skin Sanitizer. This nondrying antiseptic skin cleanser includes gentle emollients to smooth and moisten skin. The Bacdown Gel reduces bacteria count on hands prior to gloving or entering aseptic environments.
Disposable respirators can provide a barrier from fluid penetration and the transfer of microorganisms. Our ONE-Fit™ Healthcare N95 Particulate Respirators provide 99.9% Bacterial Filtration Efficiency (BFE) and offer 99.5% Particle Filtration Efficiency (PFE), and 99.9% Viral Filtration Efficiency (VFE). They are designed for healthcare settings, such as emergency rooms and intensive care units and meet CDC guidelines for M Tuberculosis.
In addition to using safety products such as these, cover your coughs and sneezes with tissues, keep work surfaces (including telephones and computers) clean, and avoid using coworkers’ phones and computers to help prevent the spread of viruses.
As the United States celebrates the Thanksgiving holiday, Cole-Parmer wishes to thank you, our customers, for your business and support throughout the year. In this challenging economic climate, we are grateful for each and every order you place. We look forward to continuing to serve you with excellence―from providing unique products to exceptional service to technical support.
In a spirit of gratitude, we extend a special promotion to you. Order a qualifying Thermo Scientific MaxQ™ or Forma Shaker from Cole-Parmer and receive 10% off the suggested list price! Plus, we’ll give you a Shake Weight® absolutely free. This offer is good through December 31, 2010.
In recognition of America Recycles day on Monday, November 15, Cole-Parmer encourages everyone to go green!
Cole-Parmer is rolling out new plans daily to provide environmentally friendly solutions for our customers. We have taken many steps to upgrade our warehouse with eco-friendly materials to reduce waste and conserve energy. Below are some of the improvements we put in place to help reduce our carbon footprint:
Eco-friendly Packaging— 100% recycled packaging paper, plastic pallets and pallet runners, edge protectors, and more.
Recycling—All qualifying packaging materials shipped
into our warehouse are reused or recycled
Reduced Energy Consumption—Cole-Parmer has installed
high-efficiency fluorescent lighting throughout our warehouse
Keep it growing! Recycle and reuse the packing materials—cardboard, paper tape, packing peanuts, bubble wrap, etc.—you receive in shipments. Together, doing this simple activity, we can work to create a cleaner and safer planet.
The 2011/2012 Catalog Preview from Cole-Parmer is brimming with new products―2,500 in all. Find the latest in temperature, pumps (including Masterflex®), filtration, lab consumables, water quality, mixers, and more in this 144-page preview of the Cole-Parmer General Catalog.
Plus, hundreds of other time-saving innovations are also available. Customers ordering from the catalog can also take advantage of volume discounts―and save critical budget dollars.
Measuring the temperature of fruit-sugar mixture for fruit gelee candies
This fall, the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) launched a Science & Cooking Lecture Series and Course. Featuring Harvard professors teaching alongside renowned chefs (including Ferran Adrià, José Andrés, and Wylie Dufresne), the course was designed to explore the relationship between science and food. Cole-Parmer donated laboratory equipment in support of the first-of-its-kind class, including thermometers, cooling and heating baths, balances, and waterproof pH pocket meters.
The equipment is used in the kitchen experimentation component of the course, which also features lectures and demonstrations. Covering topics including viscosity, emulsions, gelation, browning and oxidations, and more, the teaching team seeks to expand the boundaries of gastronomic science. For example, students study thermal energy as it applies to pressure cooking and steaming, learn the rheological properties of bread dough, and discern the effects of kinetics processes on the texture of food.
“Cooking provides an ideal framework to study a variety of complex phenomena―from basic chemistry to materials science to applied physics―through something familiar to all students: food,” said David A. Weitz, Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics and Applied Physics in SEAS and the Department of Physics at Harvard.
Chef Ferran Adrià’s own nonprofit Alícia foundation originally collaborated with the Harvard team to bring his vision of applying scientific principles to the art of cooking into a reality. Other sponsors include Whole Foods, Le Creuset, Mars Chocolate, José Andrés ThinkFood Group, and Esade Business School.
The latest advancement in Oaktonbenchtop meters has arrived at Cole-Parmer. The new Oakton® 2700 Benchtop Meters offer advanced functionality, making them an excellent choice for research applications.
The 2700-series meters feature superior, oversized displays with a bright backlight and dynamic stability indicator. The meters conveniently stamp all calibration and stored data with the time and date, meeting GLP requirements. Their nonvolatile memory stores and recalls up to 500 sets of data―simplifying the process of documenting large volumes of measurement. Advanced setup options enable user customization for added flexibility. Users can also program data logging intervals for continuous monitoring. Programmable limit alarm sounds off when readings fall out of range.
The Oakton pH 2700 meters have an expanded pH range from -2.000 to 20.000 with improved accuracy of +/- 0.002 pH and a resolution of 0.001 pH. Other models in the series are available to measure ion concentration, conductivity/TDS, pH/conductivity/TDS, and dissolved oxygen.
Posted by Scott 
