HALF-Day Course
Wednesday, November 16, 1:00pm – 5:00pm
Dr. Lydia Breckenridge, Bristol-Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, NJ
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has emerged as a unique analytical technique for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of a variety of solid materials. The minimal sample preparation requirements, high spatial resolution capabilities, rapid analysis time, simple instrumentation and applicability to all media make LIBS especially appealing to the pharmaceutical industry. This half-day course will introduce the fundamentals and instrumentation of LIBS and provide a brief review of current applications. The utility of LIBS for the analysis of various different solid materials, including pharmaceutical samples, will be covered; including its application to coating analysis, homogeneity determination, contaminant identification and elemental quantitative analysis.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
This half-day course will benefit analysts and researchers who perform or have an interest in solid-analysis atomic spectroscopy. LIBS has found application to a variety of different fields of study, including pharmaceuticals, environmental, cultural artifacts, forensics, homeland security and geology and will therefore be of interested to a very broad spectrum of scientists.
TOPICS
1. Introduction to LIBS
* A Brief History
* Current Applications
2. Atomic Spectroscopy: How LIBS Fits In
3. Fundamental Characteristics of LIBS
* Initiation of breakdown
* Formation, composition and evolution of plasma
* Temporal plasma properties
4. Instrumentation
* Laser
* Spectrometer
* Detection
5. Performing a LIBS Analysis
* Substrate for solid samples
* Sampling
* Instrumental optimization
– Laser energy
– Laser focusing
– Delay and integration time
– Data processing
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
Dr. Lydia Breckenridge is a Senior Research Investigator in the Atomic Spectroscopy group at Bristol-Myers Squibb in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Lydia’s research concentrates on pharmaceutical applications of plasma-based analytical techniques such as ICP-AES, ICP-MS, LA-ICP-MS and LIBS. Specifically, she has worked on applying LIBS to a broad range of challenges encountered in pharmaceutical formulations, including batch homogeneity determination, tablet coating analysis, particle size investigations and contaminant identification. Lydia is the former Chair and a current active member of the New York Society of Applied Spectroscopy (NYSAS), on the governing board of the Eastern Analytical Symposium (EAS) and secretary-elect of the North American Society for Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (NASLIBS). She earned her Ph.D. under the direction of Dr. James Winefordner at the University of Florida where her doctoral research focused on the application of LIBS to the determination of carbon in soil. Lydia has also earned two M.S. degrees in Forensic Drug Chemistry and Forensic Toxicology under the direction of Dr. Ian Tebbett, also at the University of Florida.
