Nathan Hawkins
@nathhawkins.bsky.social
CEO Spectrometrics Limited
Innovator, Chromatography, Mass Spectrometry, Lab Automation, Software & Spectral Libraries
Innovator, Chromatography, Mass Spectrometry, Lab Automation, Software & Spectral Libraries
Tasted the chocolate cupcakes I baked last night and realised I forgot to add the vanilla extract - perhaps I should have printed out the SOP rather than relying on memory.
a muffin pan filled with chocolate cupcakes is sitting on a rack
Alt: a muffin pan filled with chocolate cupcakes is sitting on a rack
media.tenor.com
November 17, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Tasted the chocolate cupcakes I baked last night and realised I forgot to add the vanilla extract - perhaps I should have printed out the SOP rather than relying on memory.
Americans will never understand stepping on one of these barefoot.
After 5mins being struck dumb by pain (even without breaking skin), I am now able to speak.
After 5mins being struck dumb by pain (even without breaking skin), I am now able to speak.
November 11, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Americans will never understand stepping on one of these barefoot.
After 5mins being struck dumb by pain (even without breaking skin), I am now able to speak.
After 5mins being struck dumb by pain (even without breaking skin), I am now able to speak.
Mini 🧵- Hardly surprising: both areas 13.5% population geowrh 2011-2021, further 10% since and central government funding (including for adult social care) has yet to catch up.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Northamptonshire councils facing huge budget pressure
Northamptonshire's two councils are facing a financial challenge for this year and next.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Mini 🧵- Hardly surprising: both areas 13.5% population geowrh 2011-2021, further 10% since and central government funding (including for adult social care) has yet to catch up.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
My fungal ID skills aren’t up to confirming whether my boletes are edible varieties (popular with the mice or squirrels)
October 10, 2025 at 9:11 AM
My fungal ID skills aren’t up to confirming whether my boletes are edible varieties (popular with the mice or squirrels)
Just discovered you can recycle blister packs at Boots pharmacies. Wonder if they take blister packs from GC consumables (ferrules, inlet liners, o-rings, etc) too?
I already the PET containers some vendors use in the household recycling.
www.boots.com/shopping/boo...
I already the PET containers some vendors use in the household recycling.
www.boots.com/shopping/boo...
Blister Pack Recycling | Recycle at Boots Scheme
Recycle your empty blister packs in-store and earn Advantage Card points when you spend £5 at participating stores. Terms and conditions apply.
www.boots.com
October 7, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Just discovered you can recycle blister packs at Boots pharmacies. Wonder if they take blister packs from GC consumables (ferrules, inlet liners, o-rings, etc) too?
I already the PET containers some vendors use in the household recycling.
www.boots.com/shopping/boo...
I already the PET containers some vendors use in the household recycling.
www.boots.com/shopping/boo...
Does your GC/GC-MS have a lonely heart and yearn for a PAL-xt instead of a boring Agilent ALS.
@pal-system.bsky.social
@pal-system.bsky.social
🥰 For Sale: Refurbished PAL-xt sampler seeking a new GC-MS soulmate! Fully serviced, ready to inject love into your lab. Reliable, precise, & full of charm.
email: enquiries@spectrometrics.com for details! 💖
#LabEquipment #GCMS #ScienceLove
email: enquiries@spectrometrics.com for details! 💖
#LabEquipment #GCMS #ScienceLove
October 2, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Does your GC/GC-MS have a lonely heart and yearn for a PAL-xt instead of a boring Agilent ALS.
@pal-system.bsky.social
@pal-system.bsky.social
Appreciate that it’s a long shot but does anyone have a Sigma SPME/HPLC interface (57350-U) in a drawer somewhere that they could donate to an R&D project.
September 30, 2025 at 6:42 AM
Appreciate that it’s a long shot but does anyone have a Sigma SPME/HPLC interface (57350-U) in a drawer somewhere that they could donate to an R&D project.
After a 20h day on Friday and pulling into the drive after 1am Saturday, logging in today to discover a grant application deadline extension was most welcome.
a man wearing glasses and a brown suit is sitting on a couch and making a funny face .
Alt: Jeff Goldblum wearing glasses and a brown suit, sitting on a couch and running his hand across his forehead
media.tenor.com
September 28, 2025 at 5:23 PM
After a 20h day on Friday and pulling into the drive after 1am Saturday, logging in today to discover a grant application deadline extension was most welcome.
Late finish and early start. Two coffees is not enough: where do I get the IV caffeine?
a cartoon cat is holding a camera in his hands and looking at it .
Alt: Tom (Tom & Jerry) taping his eyelids open
media.tenor.com
September 25, 2025 at 4:42 AM
Late finish and early start. Two coffees is not enough: where do I get the IV caffeine?
When I first fully automated metabolomics MOX-TMS sample prep in 2007/2008, the main driver was data quality. Improved productivity, sustainability and effective use of person resource were secondary (to us), but secured the grant funding from BBSRC. @ukri.org
ROI: 2x CapEx costs, 10x OpEx savings
ROI: 2x CapEx costs, 10x OpEx savings
a robot says hi rajarshi here in yellow
Alt: a black and white humanoid robot waving
media.tenor.com
September 6, 2025 at 7:56 AM
When I first fully automated metabolomics MOX-TMS sample prep in 2007/2008, the main driver was data quality. Improved productivity, sustainability and effective use of person resource were secondary (to us), but secured the grant funding from BBSRC. @ukri.org
ROI: 2x CapEx costs, 10x OpEx savings
ROI: 2x CapEx costs, 10x OpEx savings
I think the proportions on this may actually be an improvement on the original
September 6, 2025 at 7:06 AM
I think the proportions on this may actually be an improvement on the original
Wikipedia article for TMS diazomethane says it’s safer than diazomethane - when I did the risk assessment we estimated that it was at least 3-4 orders of magnitude more toxic than diazomethane, toxic by all routes of administration and probably permeates nitrile gloves #ChemSky
two men in yellow coveralls are standing next to each other with the words let 's cook written on the bottom
Alt: two men in yellow coveralls are standing next to each other with the words let 's cook written on the bottom
media.tenor.com
August 23, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Wikipedia article for TMS diazomethane says it’s safer than diazomethane - when I did the risk assessment we estimated that it was at least 3-4 orders of magnitude more toxic than diazomethane, toxic by all routes of administration and probably permeates nitrile gloves #ChemSky
With budgets hard to secure, upgrading your existing instrument can be an affordable and sustainable way to add to your labs capabilities.
And you can catch me at #BMSS25 next month to learn more.
And you can catch me at #BMSS25 next month to learn more.
Did you know you can upgrade your existing Agilent MSD to a triple quad for a fraction of the price of a 7000E. You can even upgrade a diff pump system!
enquiries@spectrometrics.com
#sustainability #greenchemistry
enquiries@spectrometrics.com
#sustainability #greenchemistry
August 22, 2025 at 3:19 PM
With budgets hard to secure, upgrading your existing instrument can be an affordable and sustainable way to add to your labs capabilities.
And you can catch me at #BMSS25 next month to learn more.
And you can catch me at #BMSS25 next month to learn more.
Anyone else have a particular bugbear about the use of ambiguous abbreviations in the organic and biochemistry lab.
ACN: one person’s acrylonitrile is another one’s acetonitrile
IAA: iodoacetamide or auxin?
I’ve seen enough near-misses through ambiguous labelling to last a lifetime.
#ChemSky
ACN: one person’s acrylonitrile is another one’s acetonitrile
IAA: iodoacetamide or auxin?
I’ve seen enough near-misses through ambiguous labelling to last a lifetime.
#ChemSky
August 21, 2025 at 11:12 AM
Anyone else have a particular bugbear about the use of ambiguous abbreviations in the organic and biochemistry lab.
ACN: one person’s acrylonitrile is another one’s acetonitrile
IAA: iodoacetamide or auxin?
I’ve seen enough near-misses through ambiguous labelling to last a lifetime.
#ChemSky
ACN: one person’s acrylonitrile is another one’s acetonitrile
IAA: iodoacetamide or auxin?
I’ve seen enough near-misses through ambiguous labelling to last a lifetime.
#ChemSky
Annual hedge pruning starts today
It’s ‘only’ 80ft long, and [currently] 4m high
It’s ‘only’ 80ft long, and [currently] 4m high
a man is raking a hedge with a rake while a lawn mower is behind him .
Alt: A man pruning a hedge with a lawnmower on a stick
media.tenor.com
August 16, 2025 at 7:23 AM
Annual hedge pruning starts today
It’s ‘only’ 80ft long, and [currently] 4m high
It’s ‘only’ 80ft long, and [currently] 4m high
Looking forward to the 45th BMSS meeting next month.
@bmss-official.bsky.social
@bmss-official.bsky.social
August 15, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Looking forward to the 45th BMSS meeting next month.
@bmss-official.bsky.social
@bmss-official.bsky.social
Reposted by Nathan Hawkins
Calling #TeamMetabolomics UK - Spectrometrics has 3 #Metabolomics PrepStations in stock to automate the Fiehn MOX-TMS Protocol. Great for teaching metabolomics or for early career researchers wanting to automate GC-MS metabolomics.
@scotmetnet.bsky.social @emn-metsoc.bsky.social @lbmsdg.bsky.social
@scotmetnet.bsky.social @emn-metsoc.bsky.social @lbmsdg.bsky.social
Did you know you can miss (less stable) metabolites, or their derivatives with batch prep? They’re filtered out in your preprocessing. Just-in-time metabolomics preserves them, boosting feature retention & biomarker discovery.
#Metabolomics #ScienceTips #PrepAhead
enquiries@spectrometrics.com
#Metabolomics #ScienceTips #PrepAhead
enquiries@spectrometrics.com
August 15, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Calling #TeamMetabolomics UK - Spectrometrics has 3 #Metabolomics PrepStations in stock to automate the Fiehn MOX-TMS Protocol. Great for teaching metabolomics or for early career researchers wanting to automate GC-MS metabolomics.
@scotmetnet.bsky.social @emn-metsoc.bsky.social @lbmsdg.bsky.social
@scotmetnet.bsky.social @emn-metsoc.bsky.social @lbmsdg.bsky.social
Windows 11 casualties - has to break out the trusty Windows 10 (originally Windows 7) to run Maestro -xt and MassTransit for data file/library conversion.
August 8, 2025 at 7:45 AM
Windows 11 casualties - has to break out the trusty Windows 10 (originally Windows 7) to run Maestro -xt and MassTransit for data file/library conversion.
🧵 Quiet covers for #MassSpec pumps help cut noise in instrument labs, but if you really want to block out noise and enhance comfort, more sound insulation (replacement ceiling tiles, acoustic screens to wall and, if your reflooring, floor, panels) can improve the working environment for your people.
August 3, 2025 at 6:26 AM
🧵 Quiet covers for #MassSpec pumps help cut noise in instrument labs, but if you really want to block out noise and enhance comfort, more sound insulation (replacement ceiling tiles, acoustic screens to wall and, if your reflooring, floor, panels) can improve the working environment for your people.
The first time we hooked μpacked SFC to EI-MS, I thought the mass spectrometer was broken (then the penny dropped that there was zero column bleed).
enquiries@spectrometrics.com
enquiries@spectrometrics.com
a woman is sitting on a couch in front of a bookshelf and making a funny face .
Alt: a woman is sitting on a couch in front of a bookshelf and making a funny face and face-palming her forehead
media.tenor.com
July 21, 2025 at 1:14 PM
The first time we hooked μpacked SFC to EI-MS, I thought the mass spectrometer was broken (then the penny dropped that there was zero column bleed).
enquiries@spectrometrics.com
enquiries@spectrometrics.com
On the train to Brighton for #SiNS2025. Thankful air con is working, but could do with being a couple of degrees cooler.
a cartoon penguin is standing next to a fan
Alt: a cartoon penguin is standing in front of a fan
media.tenor.com
July 14, 2025 at 12:31 PM
On the train to Brighton for #SiNS2025. Thankful air con is working, but could do with being a couple of degrees cooler.
After leaving the tea to brew, I went to take the tea bag out of the mug and realised I hadn’t put one in.
a cat with a beard is holding a mug of coffee
Alt: a dishevelled mogwai with a beard is holding a mug of coffee
media.tenor.com
July 14, 2025 at 5:32 AM
After leaving the tea to brew, I went to take the tea bag out of the mug and realised I hadn’t put one in.
