Analytical chemistry is the analysis of samples to gain an understanding of their chemical composition. The goal of many chemical analysis protocols is to analyze a given sample (e.g., a physiological sample, an environmental sample, a manufacturing sample, etc.) for a variety of different purposes, such as to identify the presence of one or more analytes of interest in the sample, to characterize the makeup of the sample, for example in quality control, etc.
Many different analytical chemistry protocols have been developed. One broad category of analytical protocols that have been developed is chromatography. Chromatography is a family of analytical chemistry techniques for the separation of mixtures. In chromatography, a sample (the analyte) in a “mobile phase”, often in a stream of solvent, is passed through a “stationary phase”, where the stationary phase is some form of material that will provide resistance between the components of the sample and the material. Usually, each component has a characteristic separation rate that can be used to identify it and thus the composition of the original mixture.
A chromatograph takes a chemical mixture carried by liquid or gas and separates it into its component parts as a result of differential distributions of the solutes as they flow around or over a stationary liquid or solid phase. Various techniques for the separation of complex mixtures rely on the differential affinities of substances for a gas or liquid mobile medium and for a stationary adsorbing medium through which they pass; such as paper, gelatin, or magnesium silicate gel.
Many different chromatographic analytical devices have been developed in order to perform various chromatographic protocols. Examples of various chromatographic devices include, but are not limited to: gas chromatography devices, liquid chromatography devices, capillary electrophoresis devices, and supercritical fluid chromatography devices.
Chromatographic devices are typically operated according to an analytical device method, which method is used by a chromatographic device data system (e.g., such as the ChemStation system from Agilent Technologies, Palo Alto, Calif.) to provide all of the setpoints for a device to perform a given sample analysis. As such, an analytical device method generally at least includes instrument control, sample injection and data analysis setpoints. Traditionally, all of the instrument control setpoints for a given method are provided together as a package to a user, e.g., as may be provided in a plurality of selectable complete methods packaged with an analytical device, or as may be imported into the operating data system of a device as a complete method obtained from an outside source. In certain instances, it is possible to import the sample injection and/or data analysis set points as a group into a given data analysis system. In addition, certain chromatographic analytical device data systems provide for editing of one or more parameters of a pre-existing method. However, the inventors are not aware of any product that provides for the ability to selectively import instrument control information into a system that can be used by the system develop a method de novo. Prior solutions have required that the information needed to develop an analysis must be imported in the format defined for that system. For example, current versions of the Agilent ChemStation requires a pre-existing method be imported into the ChemStation methods directory.
The access to scientific information has been changed dramatically by the presence of the Internet and by advances in storage media for computers. This improved access has provided electronic access to scientific knowledge in an unprecedented fashion.
There is a need in the art to provide for the ability to capitalize on the enhanced access to scientific knowledge in the development of analytical device methods. The present invention satisfies this need.