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ReAgent’s extended quality control (QC) laboratory is now in full operation. 

The facility is 40% larger than before and houses new state-of-the-art testing equipment, including an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) spectrometer and an ion chromatograph (IC). 

Extended Facilities & Advanced Capabilities

This new equipment has sped up testing processes, enabling faster turnaround times for customer orders while maintaining our high standards for compliance and quality. 

ReAgent lab expansion
Knocking down a wall to expand the ReAgent lab

They join a wide range of existing equipment in our QC lab (more on that below), giving us the ability to perform an extensive variety of analytical tests in-house.

ReAgent lab knock through
The expansion in sight!

What Our New Equipment Does

Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES)

Our new ICP-OES is used for highly sensitive elemental analysis. It can detect and measure trace levels of metals and some non-metals in liquid samples, down to parts per billion. 

The ICP-OES works by putting the liquid sample into a plasma – an extremely hot, electrically charged gas – which stimulates the atoms and in turn causes them to emit light at different wavelengths. 

By measuring the intensity of this light, the ICP-OES identifies and quantifies elements with exceptional precision. 

This technology is vital for ensuring our products meet strict specifications and regulatory standards, particularly when controlling impurities.

ReAgent lab new testing equipment
Our new ICP-OES and ion chromatograph

Ion Chromatograph (IC)

The ion chromatograph is designed to separate and analyse ions in a sample, including anions (negatively charged) such as chloride, nitrate, and sulphate, and cations (positively charged) such as sodium, potassium, and calcium. 

IC testing is important to a range of industries to monitor water purity, check for contaminants, and verify product composition. 

It works by passing the sample through a specialised column where ions are separated based on their interactions with the column material, then detected and measured with high accuracy.

Our QC Lab’s Full Testing Capability

Alongside the new ICP and IC machines, our QC lab is equipped with:

  • Autotitrator for acid-base, redox, and silver titrations
  • pH and conductivity meters
  • Viscometers for measuring fluid viscosity
  • UV–Vis spectrophotometer for analysing light absorption in samples
  • Moisture balances for determining solids content
  • Density measurement instruments
  • FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy) for identifying chemical compounds
  • XRF (X-ray Fluorescence) for non-destructive elemental analysis

We also carry out a range of compendial tests to established methods, ensuring every batch meets the most rigorous quality requirements.

Please contact our team for all your chemical blending and testing enquiries.

About the author

Jessica Clifton

Chief Strategy Officer

Jessica is Chief Strategy Officer at ReAgent and leads a variety of growth projects. She has an extensive background in marketing, and has worked in the chemical industry since 2019. Outside of work, Jessica can be found on a run, building LEGO, or watching Star Wars.
View all posts by Jessica Clifton

Disclaimer

All content published on the ReAgent.co.uk blog is for information only. The blog, its authors, and affiliates cannot be held responsible for any accident, injury or damage caused in part or directly from using the information provided. Additionally, we do not recommend using any chemical without reading the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), which can be obtained from the manufacturer. You should also follow any safety advice and precautions listed on the product label. If you have health and safety related questions, visit HSE.gov.uk.

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