picoSpin: Miniature NMR Spectrometers

News

Boulder, CO – February 3, 2012 picoSpin, maker of the world’s first... more

picoSpin Hires New Director of Global Sales

Boulder, CO – February 3, 2012

picoSpin, maker of the world’s first miniature NMR spectrometer, announced today that Jeff Sherman has joined the company as its new Director of Global Sales. Jeff will work closely with Cole-Parmer, picoSpin’s exclusive international distributor, and will also lead direct sales within the US.

picoSpin’s breakthrough product, the picoSpin™-45 miniature NMR spectrometer, delivers true high-resolution NMR spectroscopy in a shoe-box sized package at a cost far below any previous technology. It was a 2011 Edison Awards Winner for best new product.

John Price, President of picoSpin, commented, "Chemists in every sector, from education to manufacturing, have recognized that the picoSpin™-45 is an important new analytical tool. Our distribution partner Cole-Parmer has seen strong demand for the product, and has responded by fully supporting us with their worldwide sales and marketing operation. Jeff Sherman will leverage Cole-Parmer’s commitment by adding to the picoSpin team a leader with decades of experience in sales and marketing of chemical analytical instrumentation."

Anand Shirur, Director of Global Sales at Cole-Parmer, remarked, “We at Cole-Parmer are very excited about the picoSpin™-45. This remarkable technology revolutionizes the usage and acceptance of NMR. High-cost NMR devices have priced many out of the market. However, the picoSpin™-45 makes NMR spectroscopy accessible for basic research, quality control, and educational applications. We have received encouraging feedback from our global customers and dealers. We welcome Jeff Sherman as he joins the picoSpin team and look forward to leverage his experience in enhancing our customer experiences.”

Jeff added, "picoSpin is really changing the world of NMR spectroscopy. Previously, having this powerful technology on the benchtop at an affordable price was only a dream for those performing chemical analysis around the world. I am excited to have the opportunity to bring this valuable tool to students, chemists, and analysts globally. I am truly delighted to have a distribution partner with the reputation and worldwide access to market that Cole-Parmer offers. We plan to accelerate the awareness and availability of the picoSpin™-45 to those who can now realize the benefits of having an NMR on their own benchtop."

Jeff Sherman comes to picoSpin from Mettler-Toledo AutoChem, Inc., the market leader in analytical technologies for the pharmaceutical and high value specialty chemical markets. Mettler-Toledo AutoChem technologies include in-situ FTIR, particle systems characterization, calorimetry, and automated lab reactor products. Jeff rose to several strategic positions within Mettler-Toledo AutoChem, including Head of Business Development for the Americas, Advanced Technology Development, Head of Worldwide Sales for AutoChem and General Manager of two different units within AutoChem. He has strong experience in supporting distribution and sales channels in many parts of the world, including US, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Canada, and Latin America. Jeff was also recently Vice President of Worldwide Sales at Block Engineering, a leading developer of MEMS, QCL Laser and FTIR spectroscopy sensors.

Jeff holds a PhD in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Georgia, Athens, and a BS in Chemistry from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania. His PhD thesis focused on the use of FTIR spectroscopy and chemometric methods for analytical chemistry applications.

####

About picoSpin: picoSpin, LLC, Boulder, Colorado, USA, was founded in 2010 by its Chairman, Charles E. Miller, together with a team of scientists and engineers. The mission of picoSpin is to develop, manufacture, and market miniature NMR spectrometers. picoSpin’s products are used wherever chemists required rapid and cost-effective access to analytical spectroscopy. Proven applications include quality analysis, quality control, chemical education, and process development. Please visit us at http://www.picospin.com.

About Cole-Parmer: Cole-Parmer, the exclusive international distributor for the picoSpin™-45 Benchtop NMR Spectrometer, has been a leading global source of laboratory and industrial fluid handling products, instrumentation, equipment, and supplies since 1955. Our product lines, including popular brand names such as Masterflex®, Oakton®, and more, are sold through company-owned customer channel outlets and a strong network of international dealers. We also feature an ISO-17025-accredited metrology lab for instrument calibration and repair. Cole-Parmer responds with excellence to customer needs, and offers application expertise and technical support. For more information, contact Cole-Parmer, 625 East Bunker Court, Vernon Hills, IL 60061. In the US, call 800-323-4340. International customers, call 847-549-7600. Visit us at http://www.coleparmer.com.

Vernon Hills, IL, December 15, 2011 Business and academic leaders in China, Est... more

World’s First Miniature NMR Spectrometer from picoSpin Introduced in Workshops around the Globe

Vernon Hills, IL, December 15, 2011

Business and academic leaders in China, Estonia, India, Lithuania, Latvia, and the United Kingdom recently received up-close demonstrations of the picoSpin™-45L Benchtop NMR Spectrometer during a series of presentations. Dean Antic, picoSpin Chief Chemist and Director of Marketing, traveled on 16 flights in 14 airports to lead the training and demonstrations.

The picoSpin-45L Benchtop NMR Spectrometer, a 2011 Edison Awards Winner for Best New Product, analyzes liquid samples with 100 ppb resolution or better. Only 20 microliters of sample fluid is needed to obtain a spectrum. Its compact size and portability, weighing just 10.5 pounds (4.76 kg), makes it a desirable unit for lab researchers with limited benchtop space. The unit’s affordable price provides access to students needing hands-on NMR experience in their academic curriculum.

Currently, academia relies primarily on paper NMR spectra data for teaching. Now, with an affordable option, students can gain real-time experience. “As a biochemistry teacher, I want my students to get practical experience on NMR spectroscopy. This instrument and its software seem to be very useful for both undergraduate and postgraduate students. We appreciate the initiative taken by Cole-Parmer for educational causes. With this instrument, students can now experience NMR hands-on in chemistry lab courses and in research projects,” said Dr. Sangita Roy, HOD, Department of BioChemistry, Oxford College of Science, India.

Professor Lin Chongxi of the Analysis and Test Center of Peking University found the technology to be “very innovative. It has a great future in China in applied chemistry.”

The tour included technical training, customer workshops, student lectures, and private demonstrations. To view this innovation, go to ColeParmer.com/18965 or, for more information, call 800-323-4340.

###

About Cole-Parmer: Cole-Parmer, the exclusive international distributor for the picoSpin™-45L Benchtop NMR Spectrometer, has been a leading global source of laboratory and industrial fluid handling products, instrumentation, equipment, and supplies since 1955. Our product lines, including popular brand names such as Masterflex®, Oakton®, and more, are sold through company-owned customer channel outlets and a strong network of international dealers. We also feature an ISO-17025-accredited metrology lab for instrument calibration and repair. Cole-Parmer responds with excellence to customer needs, and offers application expertise and technical support. For more information, contact Cole-Parmer, 625 East Bunker Court, Vernon Hills, IL 60061. In the US, call 800-323-4340. International customers, call 847-549-7600. Visit us at http://www.coleparmer.com.

About picoSpin: picoSpin, LLC, Boulder, Colorado, USA, was founded in 2010 by its Chairman, Charles E. Miller, together with a team of scientists and engineers. The mission of picoSpin is to develop, manufacture, and market miniature NMR spectrometers. Mr. Miller is also Chairman of Instrutech, Inc, of Longmont, Colorado, a manufacturer of vacuum instrumentation, and was formerly President of Engineering Measurements Corporation, also of Longmont, Colorado, a manufacturer of fluid flow instrumentation. Please visit us: http://www.picospin.com

###

Miniature NMR Spectrometer To Enahance Chemistry Program CHICAGO (December 9, 2... more

Miniature NMR Spectrometer To Enhance Chemistry Program

Miniature NMR Spectrometer To Enahance Chemistry Program

CHICAGO (December 9, 2011) – North Park University will soon add an important piece of equipment to its chemistry program that will improve students' classroom experience and enhance chemistry research. The University's acquisition of a miniature Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectrometer – the only small-form NMR commercially available – is a significant step for the chemistry students and professors. North Park students will be among the first college students in the nation to use this revolutionary instrument.

Similar to Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) used in medicine, an NMR spectrometer can help a user identify molecules in a solution by providing a "spectrum" or picture in graph form. "This is a central instrument to the field of chemistry," said Dr. Jonathan Rienstra-Kiracofe, professor of chemistry and department chair. "It provides information on the structure of molecules in a way that many instruments cannot do. Because of that, it's very important that chemistry students learn and have some experience with an NMR."

Funded by a grant from the Max Goldenberg Foundation, Chicago, and other University funds, the shoebox-sized miniature NMR instrument cost nearly $19,000 and is "perfect" for the University's chemistry program, Rienstra-Kiracofe said. The price tag is far less than much larger NMR instruments that can cost $200,000 and up, he said. The University ordered the instrument, which is new to the marketplace, from picoSpin, LLC, Boulder, Colo. That company won a 2011 Edison Award, which honors innovation, for its miniature spectrometer.

Rienstra-Kiracofe's colleagues agree that the miniature NMR spectrometer will provide a boost to the University's chemistry program. For example, the use of NMR technology is fundamental to organic chemistry. "A thorough organic chemistry course depends heavily on the use of NMR for the determination of molecular structure and the study of reaction mechanisms," said Dr. Isabel Larraza, assistant professor of chemistry. "I have no doubt that this instrument will foster in our students a broader and more in-depth learning experience while exposing them to an important technology." At present, faculty teach the concepts by providing NMR spectrum examples to students. With the new instrument, students will be able to create their own spectra, and analyze their products as soon as they synthesize them in the lab, Larraza said.

NMR is a "powerful analytical technique" used in all disciplines in chemistry, said Dr. Anne Vazquez, assistant professor who chemistry. "I am looking forward to using it in our analytical and physical chemistry labs. Giving our students hands-on experience with this important instrument as undergraduates will greatly prepare them for graduate studies and careers," she said.

More than 100 chemistry students will benefit from direct use in classes of the University's miniature NMR, unlike many schools that restrict students' access to larger and more expensive NMRs, Rienstra-Kiracofe said. The mini NMR spectrometer is expected to arrive and be put into use in February 2012. Staff with picoSpin will conduct training sessions here.

The Max Goldenberg Foundation has provided grant funds to the North Park University chemistry program before. It has also provided grant funds to the University's nursing program..

# # #

Press Release Source: http://www.northpark.edu/News/Current-News/University-Chemistry-Department-to-Add-Key-Instrument-for-Teaching-Research

picoSpin, LLC, Boulder, Colo., USA, was founded in 2010 by its Chairman, Charles E. Miller, together with a team of scientists and engineers. The mission of picoSpin is to develop, manufacture and market miniature NMR spectrometers. Mr. Miller is also Chairman of Instrutech, Inc, of Longmont, Colo, a manufacturer of vacuum instrumentation, and was formerly President of Engineering Measurements Corporation, also of Longmont, Colo., a manufacturer of fluid flow instrumentation. Please visit us: www.picospin.com

# # #

picoSpin LLC leases HQ space in Boulder BOULDER (July 20th, 2011) - A Boulder ... more

picoSpin LLC leases HQ space in Boulder

picoSpin LLC leases HQ space in Boulder

BOULDER (July 20th, 2011) - A Boulder tech startup that has developed the first miniature NMR spectrometer has leased space for it first headquarters.

PicoSpin LLC was founded last fall. It manufactures nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers that are a fraction of the size and cost of traditional spectrometers. The spectrometers are used to analyze the chemical composition of liquids.

"Instruments like this have existed since the '60s, but they've been much larger and much more expensive," picoSpin president and chief scientist John Price said.

Spectroscopy is one of the most important and widely used lab techniques, but existing devices can cost up to $1 million and take up a room, Price said. PicoSpin's device weighs about 10.5 pounds and costs about $20,000.

The low cost and small size means picoSpin spectrometers could be used by students in regular chemistry lab courses or by any industry that requires chemical analysis, Price said.

The potential demand for the devices could be enormous, but, befitting a company of scientists and engineers, Price is hesitant to make forecasts until the spectrometers have been put to serious use and more data is obtained.

"It's new enough that I don't think anyone can predict the future," Price said.

PicoSpin is moving into a 4,807-square foot space at 5445 Conestoga Court. The building will house the company's offices and research and production facilities, Price said.

The building is owned by Westland Development and was represented by Peter Aweida. Audrey Berne and B. Scot Smith of The Colorado Group Inc. represented picoSpin.

By Michael Davidson, Boulder County Business Report

# # #

picoSpin-45 Overview

picoSpin-45 3-Month Free Trial

About picoSpin

We develop and manufacture miniature NMR spectrometers and related technology. Our products have applications anyplace where chemists, chemical engineers, QC engineers, safety scientists or other professionals need to analyze the chemical content of fluids. picoSpin spectrometers also have a big role to play in chemical education. Now every chemistry student can experience NMR firsthand, and learn why it is such a powerful analytical method. Explore our website, and then contact us for more information or to get a price quote on a new picoSpin-45.