The 44th International Symposium on Capillary Chromatography and the 21st GCxGC Symposium will feature two thought-provoking Group Discussions focused on some of the most pressing questions in modern separation science. From the environmental impact of official analytical methods to the future adoption of capillary LC technologies, these interactive sessions will bring together leading experts from academia and industry to discuss current challenges, technological limitations, regulatory pressures, and practical pathways toward more sustainable and innovative analytical workflows.<h4>IUPAC Project Round Table Discussion: Greenness of official sample preparation methods</h4>📆 Wednesday, May 20 🕜13:00 – 14:00 📍 Room DolomitiPanelist:&nbsp;<ul><li>Prof. Stig Pedersen-Bjergaard (University of Oslo, Norway)</li><li>Prof. František Švec (Charles University, Czech Republic)</li><li>Dr. Björn Erxleben (Shimadzu Europa, Germany)</li><li>Dr. Frank Michel (Merck, Germany)</li><li>Dr. Massimo Santoro (Markes International, UK).</li></ul>Moderated by: Elia Psillakis (Technical University of Crete, GREECE)Analytical laboratories worldwide rely on official standard methods to ensure accuracy, reproducibility, and regulatory compliance. Yet, the environmental, health and safety impacts of these methods has remained largely unevaluated. Under the umbrella of an IUPAC project (https://iupac.org/project/2021-015-2-500/), an international team has conducted the first large-scale, systematic greenness assessment of official standard methods used in environmental, food, trace element, and pharmaceutical analysis. Using the AGREEprep metric (developed within the same project), the results are sobering: the majority of evaluated methods scored below 0.2 on a 0-to-1 greenness scale. This outcome translates that routine laboratories find themselves locked into using outdated, harmful and resource-intensive methods, not by choice, but because compliance and accreditation leave them no alternative. This roundtable brings together a distinguished panel bridging academia and industry to discuss the outcomes of this unique IUPAC initiative and, more importantly, the means to change. Following the dynamic panel discussion, a Q&amp;A session will provide an open forum for participants to interact directly with the experts, share real-world challenges, and explore practical solutions. Join us for a forward-looking discussion that moves beyond general concepts to actionable strategies for greening the rulebook of analytical chemistry.<h4>Capillary LC Separations – On the Horizon and Beyond</h4>📆 Thursday, May 21 🕧12:30 – 13:30 📍 Room DolomitiOrganized by:&nbsp;<ul><li>Jim Grinias (Rowan University)&nbsp;</li><li>Milton Lee (Brigham Young University)</li></ul>This discussion session will bring together instrument manufacturers, end users, column developers, and thought leaders to have an open, candid discussion about why capillary LC and nanoLC haven’t experienced wider adoption. Through guided discussion and informal exchange, participants will examine whether the primary challenges are technical—such as robustness, extra-column effects, and column reliability—or whether usability, cost, organizational risk tolerance, and cultural inertia play a larger role.Topics will include unresolved instrumentation and column hardware challenges, manufacturing and quality control limitations, real versus perceived performance concerns, and the ongoing tension between innovation and the practical needs of high-throughput and QC laboratories.A second focus of the workshop will explore value propositions and future pathways for capillary LC adoption. Participants will critically assess whether green chemistry arguments meaningfully resonate with decision-makers, where capillary LC delivers truly unique advantages. The discussion will extend to workforce readiness, automation, regulatory expectations, and what level of reliability and standardization would be required for routine QC deployment. The session will conclude by exploring a realistic roadmap for the next decade—identifying the technological breakthroughs, data, standards, and leadership needed for capillary LC to transition from a powerful emerging tool into a trusted, mainstream analytical platform.

Group Discussions at the 44th International Symposium on Capillary Chromatography and 21st GCxGC Symposium

<h3><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.isc2026.org/">ISC 2026</a></h3>The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/companies/314">International Symposium on Chromatography (ISC)</a> represents the oldest conference series on separation science. ISC symposia have been organised since 1956 in each even year. ISC is one of the premier meetings series for discussion of all modes of chromatography and separation science with a broad coverage of techniques and applications.The major focus of the symposium will be on the impact of chromatography and separation science to meet the needs of the pharmaceutical, environmental, food and health industry, as well as science and medicine. The symposium programme will reflect these themes and highlight new challenges and emerging opportunities for the science and marketing of separation and detection systems and methods.As an integral part of the scientific programme of lectures and poster sessions, an international exhibition and vendor seminars on instrumentation and services for chromatography, separation science and mass spectrometry will be organised. ISC 2026 will provide the perfect forum for attendees from academia, industry and government research institutions for scientific exchange and networking.<h3>REGISTRATION</h3><blockquote>👉<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.czech-in.org/cmPortalV15/Account/Login?ReturnUrl=%2FcmPortalV15%2FPortal%2FISC26%2Fnormal">Register NOW and do not miss the deadline</a><ul><li>Early-bird registration &amp; payment deadline: May 15, 2026</li><li>Payment deadline for authors of oral presentations: May 15, 2026</li></ul></blockquote><h3>TUTORIAL LECTURES</h3><h5>Bezhan Chankvetadze</h5>Bezhan Chankvetadze is Professor for Physical Chemistry and director of the Institute of Physical and Analytical Chemistry at the Tbilisi State University in Tbilisi, Georgia.He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis and a member of the editorial boards several international journals.Chankvetadze is the recipient of “2006 Belgian Society of Pharmaceutical Science Award of Recognition”, the joint Csaba Horvath Memorial Award of the Hungarian Separation Science Society and Connecticut Separation Science Council, USA (2017) and Nernst-Tswett Award from the European Separation Science Society (EuSSS) (2024).<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/ISC_Bezhan_Chankvetadze_b97143b6b0.jpg" alt="ISC 2026: Bezhan Chankvetadze" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_ISC_Bezhan_Chankvetadze_b97143b6b0.jpg 156w," sizes="100vw" width="480" height="480"><h5>Martin Gilar</h5>Dr. Martin Gilar received his Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Institute of Chemical Technology in Prague (1996). He spent postdoc years in Hybridon Inc. (1996-1998) and Northeastern University in Boston (1998) developing separation methods for antisense oligonucleotides and fraction collector for DNA molecules. Since 1998 he has worked at Waters Corp. in Milford, Massachusetts, participating in column, sample preparation and instrument research.Dr. Martin Gilar is a Research Fellow in the Separations R&amp;D group at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/companies/325">Waters Corporation</a>. He has 30+ years of experience in the separation sciences, including chromatography, electrophoresis, and mass spectrometry. His research interest is the analysis of biopolymers, peptides, and nucleic acids. He has published over 75 peer reviewed papers. Dr. Gilar is recipient of Jaroslav Janak 2022 medal and Chromatographic Society Jubilee medal in 2023.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/ISC_Martin_Gilar_3545a57ff2.jpg" alt="ISC 2026: Martin Gilar" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_ISC_Martin_Gilar_3545a57ff2.jpg 156w," sizes="100vw" width="480" height="480"><h5>Václav Kašička</h5>Václav Kašička is head of Laboratory of Electromigration Methods (www.uochb.cz/kasicka) at the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/companies/62">Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences</a> since 1995. He is engaged in development of electroseparation methods and their application for analysis and characterization of (bio)molecules. He is (co)author of 200 papers in impacted journals, 20 book chapters, and 160 lectures at international symposia, with 4922 citations, h-index 39. He is associated editor of the Journal of Separation Science, and member of editorial boards of Electrophoresis, J. Chromatogr. A and other journals. He is chair of Chromatography and Electrophoresis Group of the Czech Chemical Society, and member of permanent Scientific Committees of International Symposia ITP YYYY and LACE YYYY.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/ISC_Vaclav_Kasicka_520987cd65.jpg" alt="ISC 2026: Václav Kašička" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_ISC_Vaclav_Kasicka_520987cd65.jpg 156w," sizes="100vw" width="480" height="480"><h5>Jörg P. Kutter</h5>Professor Dr. Jörg P. Kutter holds a B.Sc. and a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry (1995) from the University of Ulm, Germany, focusing on chromatographic and electrophoretic techniques.After graduation, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Oak Ridge, TN, USA) developing microchip-based analytical tools. He joined the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) in 1998, and in 2006, he was appointed professor in experimental lab-on-a-chip systems.Since September 2013, Dr. Kutter is the Chair of Analytical Biosciences at the Dept. of Pharmacy at the University of Copenhagen. His research interests focus on the development of miniaturized separation and sample preparation methods.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/ISC_Joerg_P_Kutter_15b28eb930.jpg" alt="ISC 2026: Jörg P. Kutter" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_ISC_Joerg_P_Kutter_15b28eb930.jpg 156w," sizes="100vw" width="480" height="480"><h5>John A. McLean</h5>John A. McLean is Dean of Research Graduate Education, Stevenson Professor of Chemistry, and Director of the Center for Innovative Technologies at Vanderbilt University. McLean and colleagues have focused on the conceptualization, design, and construction of ion mobility and structural mass spectrometers, specifically targeting complex samples in systems, synthetic, and chemical biology. His group applies these strategies to forefront translational research areas in drug discovery, personalized medicine, and ‘human-on-chip’ synthetic biology platforms. He is an elected Fellow of NAI, AAAS, RCS, and ASMS and has published over 200 manuscripts and received over 30 patents in these and allied areas.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/ISC_John_A_Mc_Lean_62fe6879ae.jpg" alt="ISC 2026: John A. McLean" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_ISC_John_A_Mc_Lean_62fe6879ae.jpg 156w," sizes="100vw" width="480" height="480"><h5>Peter Schoenmakers</h5>Peter Schoenmakers has been a full-time professor in Analytical Chemistry at the University of Amsterdam since 2002, investigating many aspects of one- and two-dimensional chromatography, with a special interest in macromolecules and computer-assisted method development.Together with Bob Pirok, Peter Schoenmakers has recently completed a new textbook on Analytical Separation Science. He has received a number of international awards, most recently the ACS Award for Chromatography (2022) and the LCGC lifetime-achievement award (2023). He received royal recognition when he became Knight in the Order of the Dutch Lion in 2022.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/ISC_Peter_Schoenmakers_6962648388.jpg" alt="ISC 2026: Peter Schoenmakers" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_ISC_Peter_Schoenmakers_6962648388.jpg 156w," sizes="100vw" width="185" height="185"><h5>František Švec</h5>Frantisek Svec is working at the Faculty of Pharmacy at Charles University in Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic. He has authored over 560 publications, which have been cited more than 25,000 times, giving him an h-index of around 100. F. Svec is best known for his research on monoliths and their use in many different applications. Currently, he is focusing on developing novel formats of sorbents for sample preparation.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/ISC_Frantisek_Svec_9413f4a131.jpg" alt="ISC 2026: František Švec" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_ISC_Frantisek_Svec_9413f4a131.jpg 156w," sizes="100vw" width="480" height="480">

Tutorial Lectures at ISC 2026

Volatile and neutral PFAS species represent a distinct analytical and regulatory challenge compared with the more widely discussed ionic PFAS measured by LC-MS/MS. Two GC-based methods now define the industrial analytical landscape for volatile PFAS: ASTM D8591-24 and U.S. EPA OTM-50. While both rely on <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.thermofisher.com/content/lifetech/global/en/home/industrial/chromatography/gas-chromatography-gc/gc-systems/related-products/autosamplers.html">thermal desorption coupled to gas chromatography–mass spectrometry</a> (TD-GC-MS or TD-GC-MS/MS), they serve fundamentally different regulatory and industrial objectives.Understanding this distinction is essential for laboratories, manufacturers, and waste treatment operators implementing either method.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/Thermo_Fisher_Scientific_Volatile_PFAS_Implications_for_Industry_and_the_Role_of_TD_GC_MS_MS_7228c2a5cf.jpg" alt="Thermo Fisher Scientific: Volatile PFAS: Implications for Industry and the Role of TD-GC-MS/MS" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_Thermo_Fisher_Scientific_Volatile_PFAS_Implications_for_Industry_and_the_Role_of_TD_GC_MS_MS_7228c2a5cf.jpg 245w," sizes="100vw" width="1024" height="512"><h3>ASTM D8591-24: emissions from materials and products</h3>ASTM D8591-24 is a standardized test method for the determination of fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs) in air samples collected on thermal desorption tubes. It was validated for air samples collected from environmental test chambers and is particularly relevant to materials emissions testing.The method addresses a critical analytical gap:&nbsp;FTOHs and related neutral PFAS species are not reliably measured by LC-MS methods due to chromatographic and ionization limitations, while GC-based methods are appropriate for volatile fluorinated compounds and neutral PFAS species, including FTOHs.From an industrial perspective, ASTM D8591-24 has implications in three areas:<ol><li>Product stewardship and compliance. Manufacturers of textiles, packaging, coatings, and consumer goods increasingly require defensible emission data. The Application Note: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gcms.cz/paper/24769">Analysis of PFAS in indoor air using thermal desorption coupled to gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS/MS)</a> on indoor air testing demonstrates that TD-GC-MS/MS can detect PFAS species at low ng/m³ levels, with average method detection limits around 780 pg/m³ for a 20 L air sample. Such sensitivity is necessary when evaluating exposure in workplaces or residential settings.</li><li>Chamber testing and emission rate determination. The Micro-Chamber/Thermal Extractor (µ-CTE) enables controlled emission studies of materials without extensive preparation. As shown in the application note, fluorotelomer alcohol 8:2 (FOET) was the dominant emission, with a calculated emission rate of 0.131 ng/g/min. &nbsp;Emission rates rather than bulk concentration increasingly form the basis of regulatory thresholds.</li><li>Laboratory workflow and reproducibility. The TD100-xr coupled with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/products/486">TRACE 1610 GC</a> and<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/products/485"> TSQ 9610 triple quadrupole MS</a> provides automated internal standard addition, dry purge, and cryogen-free focusing. The integration with<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/products/76"> Chromeleon CDS</a> supports controlled method setup and compliant data handling.</li></ol>ASTM D8591-24 standard is therefore positioned at the interface of product emissions, occupational exposure, and indoor air quality.<h3>EPA OTM-50: Verification of PFAS Destruction</h3>EPA Other Test Method 50 (OTM-50) occupies a different regulatory space. It is intended for sampling and analysis of volatile fluorinated compounds (VFCs) emitted from stationary sources, particularly those associated with PFAS destruction processes.The analytical objective is not product emissions but verification of mineralization efficiency. Incomplete destruction of PFAS can produce volatile by-products such as carbon tetrafluoride (CF₄), a persistent and potent greenhouse gas. OTM-50 therefore serves as a tool for assessing process performance in chemical manufacturing and waste management facilities.The implementation of OTM-50 introduces distinct analytical challenges:<ul><li>Ultra-volatile targets. CF₄ is difficult to trap, often requiring specialized trapping strategies</li><li>High CO₂ backgrounds. CO₂ can co-trap with analytes and bias results; OTM-50 includes a bias check with ±30% acceptance criteria</li><li>High humidity. Emission streams may approach 100% relative humidity, requiring effective water management</li><li>Trace-level detection with robustness. Achieving ppt-level detection while maintaining stability and calibration integrity is non-trivial</li></ul>Thermo Scientific solutions for OTM-50 combine Markes UNITY-xr cryogen-free preconcentration, dedicated focusing traps for volatile fluorocarbons, automated internal standard addition, and either <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/products/484">ISQ 7610 single quadrupole GC-MS</a> or <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/products/485">TSQ 9610 triple quadrupole GC-MS/MS </a>detection. For facilities seeking enhanced selectivity and lower limits of quantitation in complex emission matrices, GC-MS/MS provides additional confirmation capability beyond single quadrupole operation.OTM-50 is currently an “Other Test Method,” but its role in demonstrating destruction efficiency suggests increasing regulatory significance. Facilities adopting it are not simply measuring emissions; they are generating defensible evidence of process performance.<h3>Complementary but distinct</h3>Although ASTM D8591-24 and EPA OTM-50 both rely on TD-GC-MS(/MS), their scope differs fundamentally:<ul><li>ASTM D8591-24: Chamber or ambient air sampling on sorbent tubes; focuses on FTOHs and related neutral PFAS; applied to materials emissions and indoor air.</li><li>EPA OTM-50: Canister-based sampling of stationary source emissions; focuses on volatile fluorinated compounds from destruction processes; applied to industrial compliance and process verification</li></ul>In practical terms, ASTM D8591-24 addresses the question: What is emitted from products and materials? OTM-50 addresses: What remains after PFAS destruction?For laboratories and industrial operators, the implication is clear. No single analytical approach covers all PFAS species or all regulatory questions. A TD-GC-MS/MS platform configured appropriately can support both methods, but the sampling strategy, validation framework, and regulatory context differ.As volatile PFAS monitoring expands, from product stewardship to destruction verification, the analytical distinction between these two methods will remain central to effective implementation.<ul><li>Visit us on&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/72003132/admin/dashboard/">LinkedIn:</a>&nbsp;#PFAS #IndustrialTesting #OTM50 #MaterialEmission</li></ul><blockquote><h5>Daniela Cavagnino, M.S.</h5>Daniela Cavagnino is a Product Marketing Manager who built a career at Thermo Fisher Scientific, transitioning from GC R&amp;D scientist to product and marketing leadership with 20+ years in GC/GCMS.</blockquote>&nbsp;

Volatile PFAS: Implications for Industry and the Role of TD-GC-MS/MS

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The International Symposium on Chromatography (ISC) represents the oldest conference series focussing on separation science. ISC symposia have been organised since 1956 in each even year. ISC is internationally recognised as one of the premier meeting series for discussion of all modes of chromatography and separation science with a broad coverage of techniques and applications.

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ISCC & GC×GC Symposium bring together global experts to discuss advances in capillary and multidimensional chromatography, mass spectrometry, and analytical technologies for complex sample analysis.

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Volatile PFAS: Implications for Industry and the Role of TD-GC-MS/MS

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