Source: Lab Manager, Feb 27, 2018 by Aaron Schieving
Do you order HPLC grade chemicals? Or maybe Optima grade? Or Trace Metal grade? Or perhaps Environmental grade? None of these are actual grades of chemicals. They are marketing terms companies have assigned which are often mistaken to be grades.
Chemicals and reagents play a critical role in the manufacturing and testing of pharmaceutical products, medical devices, biologics, cell- and tissue-based products, and many other related solutions.
Laboratories and researchers who use chemicals and reagents trust that their manufacturers have properly identified the grades of each chemical and ensured that the chemicals have met all regulatory and compliance standards for their intended use. It is imperative that everyone in the custody supply chain know and understand the different grades of reagents and chemicals.
Chemical purity ratings, or grades, indicate the level of impurities in a chemical substance, influencing its suitability for various applications. Common grades, from highest to lowest purity, include ACS, Reagent, USP, NF, Laboratory, Purified, and Technical. Higher purity grades, like ACS and Reagent, are essential for precise laboratory work and applications requiring stringent accuracy, while lower grades may suffice for industrial or educational purposes.
With seven different and inequivalent grades of reagents and chemicals, it is crucial to understand how they can impact products. Using a lower-purity grade than a product’s intended use requires could be a costly mistake. Similarly, using a higher-purity grade when not required could result in unnecessary costs. Add in the increased regulatory scrutiny and it becomes even more important to have a complete understanding of the components that your process requires.
LPS is introducing a new tool to help our customers make the right choice. For more details, see “Sales Pitch” below.
Resolution to War Story #2
I was tasked by the president of Packard Biosciences (my boss's boss) to fly to Palo Alto, CA to deliver the news that we would not pay the $50,000 that we contractually owed the engineering team we had hired to develop the next generation microplate instrumentation.
My decision, which I have regretted since, was to carry out this order and be a “team player.” The meeting went as you might imagine. I endured a barrage of verbal abuse - with no defense - and told to get out, go home and to never contact them again. I was frankly surprised that they didn’t threaten legal action, which in my opinion they would have easily won in court.
Subsequently, I was now in charge of the re-engineering and development of the near-obsolete product line we had purchased from the company in Massachusetts. The problem was that everyone in senior management at the company assumed I was opposed to the acquired product. It was not my choice but it was my job, which I endeavored to carry out to the best of my abilities. I was blamed for every problem that arose during the re-engineering and product launch. And there were many…
Huge problems arose with every phase of development. The biggest issue of all arose during the launch and training. The president’s son, a recent graduate with a manufacturing engineering degree, was put in charge of manufacturing. As you might suspect, someone right out of school is going to need supervision and a mentor. Because he was the president’s son, he had none.
The launch started in the U.K. The instruments had loose screws rattling around inside and were assembled using multiple types of screws (a violation of standard Packard policy.) They were shipped with U.S. power plugs and set for 110V. When U.K. plugs were used the first three units exploded.
The German training went no better. Their sales force started calling them the “Packard Yugo” after the infamous cheap Yugoslavian car. While this was going on, the word was getting back to the president that the rollout was turning into a disaster. I of course had filled out “incident reports” on each problem and submitted them daily. None of my efforts mattered. I was in charge, I was responsible and I was to blame.
When I returned to the U.S., I was informed that I had been taken off the project (demoted) and it was strongly recommended that I begin looking for employment elsewhere. That chapter of my life had come to an end. The correct decision would have been to resign rather than make that trip to Palo Alto. I regret not making that decision.
The Sales Pitch
LPS has one of the best portfolios of chemicals on the web. We are authorized distributors for:
- Avantor
- Dawn Scientific
- EMD / Millipore / Sigma Aldrich
- Focus Biomolecules
- LabChem
- Reagents Inc
- Rocky Mountain Reagents
- Spectrum Chemical
We also partner with other distributors to supply chemicals from Thermo Fisher Scientific and GFS Chemicals, Honeywell (formerly B&J) as well as many others.
Our goal is to find you the best chemical at the best value (value = price plus shipping, hazmat costs.)
To make that possible, we have recently completed a complete cross reference table of all our chemical suppliers by CAS#. You provide the CAS#, we can immediately determine where to source the chemical and find you the best value.
We want to be your chemical supplier. Give us a call; we can help you save on chemicals that you can trust.
