Randomize sequences in Agilent Chemstation

[jtreacy]

Apologies if this already exists in the newest versions of Chemstation,

Wouldn't it be useful if you could load your samples into a sequence in order. e.g. S1 S2 S3 A A A B B B etc. Fill in your sample queue. Then press a button to randomise injection giving S2, A B S1 ........... like a shuffle button on an Ipod. Then when processing the batch they could be automatically unrandomised by pressing another button.

What does anyone think? It would be very useful and doesn't sound too technically difficult - for people who can do that sort of thing.

John

[Peter Apps]

John, why on earth would you want to randomise injection order ?

Peter

[jtreacy]

Peter

I believe it's just good practice. A lot of people do it manually already. I personally don't as I'm a bit too lazy...

Cheers

John

[Andyp]

It's often necessary to analyse samples with differing degree of "treatment" and, therefore, it's good practice to randomized sample order. Also, it's not uncommon to see drifting elution volumes in GPC analyses over long runs. In this case therefore its also a good idea to randomize your sample sequence.

I think a randomized injection sequence would be a useful feature

[Consumer Products Guy]

Sometimes we'll run a sequence (after standards injected) 1A, 2A, 3A, then 1B, 2B, 3B; most often because someone in Product Development, Processing, or Manufacturing "gots to know now". To make sequences random sounds more of a request from a pointy-haired QA representative ("person" would be too much of a compliment).

[DR]

All this would do is obfuscate patterns associated with sample evaporation, silanoles and instability. Not a good idea in my opinion.

If you could actually validate ex-post-facto survey based research methods used in the social sciences, you could eliminate the need to randomize there too.

:: takes chill pill ::

[/rant] Sorry about that.