Day 6 - A wave of visitors

Anna and I arrived at CERES at 7:50AM and left at 5:30PM.

CERES picked up on the second dialysis of the first batch of PSDs today. They started off a little bit shaky, but then fell into a groove by the 3rd sample; better oral communication helped. True to their word, CERES was able to complete the rotary evaporation of 8 samples in about 2.5 hours. As of this evening, sample preparation of the first batch of PSDs has been completed, extraction of the second batch was initiated, and all glassware needed for tomorrow is baking overnight.

Around 10 AM, CERES received an unexpected visit from their GC-ECD maintenance contractor that lasted for roughly 2 hours. They performed an experiment where they reversed the columns, made a couple of observations, and confirmed that the back detector is in need of  some heavy maintenance or replacement. However, I did not receive any indication of what they would do next or at what time they would be back. I then re-installed the columns as per our SOP (~45 min), equilibrated the instrument (~1hr), shot an instrument blank (~ 1hr) and the 100ppb cal standard (~ 1 hr). I will inject single component solutions of the internal standard  and other pesticides that need to be Rt verified tomorrow. 

Specific Points:

1. As observed by other OSU staff, CERES fume hoods are not very effective at clearing solvent vapor from the lab. Additionally, they only have two positions... opened and closed.
2. CERES stored post-deployment cleaned PSDs in what appears to be 200 mL amber glass jars; a level that nearly overflows with 200 mL of extract. I instructed them to extract PSDs into 180 uL of solvent. PSDs are fully submerged at this level.
3. CERES does not have a large wide funnel, only a medium sized one. CERES would minimize small spills and increase their processing speed through the purchase and use of a larger glass funnel.
4. CERES has been filling out benchsheets with much more rigor, attention to detail, and care. 
5. Hama and Makhfousse stopped by the lab and talked with CERES staff at length about the importance of filling out benchsheets completely and accurately, describing sampling locations using cardinal directions, and sample traceability. This lasted roughly 1 hr.   
6. Several other non-project affiliated people stopped by the lab to talk with CERES staff. Anna was mainly in charge of speaking with these folks.