Chiron
Chiron AS is a leading producer and supplier of advanced chemical products for use within research and analysis in the scientific community worldwide.
Since 1983, Chiron has supplied reference standards, fine chemicals and reagents for toxicological, pharmaceutical, environmental, food safety, petroleum and geochemical analysis. Chiron’s offering consists of more than 15,000 unique products, and a custom synthesis service for microgram to kilogram quantities. Chiron is headquartered in Trondheim, Norway, has a UK subsidiary, and operates through a competent global network of distributors. Years of investment, enthusiasm, pioneering team spirit, and close cooperation with academic institutions and customers has brought Chiron to the forefront of analytical chemistry.
Work Package 2
Within the EUROqCHARM project, Chiron is a part of WP2: Validation of methods for plastics analysis in environmental samples and is leading Task 2.2. Producing analytical standard candidate CRM, and candidate matrix CRMs.
Chiron’s role is to produce certified analytical reference standards of microplastic. Preparations started in early 2021, with collaboration between Chiron and the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VUA). Preparations focused on gathering plastic starting materials and sourcing appropriate equipment.
As of autumn 2021, equipment has been installed and tested and production and sorting of particles of desired shapes and sizes has begun. Researchers at Chiron are producing microplastic in selected sizes as well as developing methods for incorporating these in suitable matrices. This development and production will be carried out throughout the project, aiming to produce certified reference material (CRM) of two of the most common types of microplastic.
Given their pervasiveness in the environment, every scientist working in the field of microplastic detection and characterisation is painfully aware of the risks of contamination, as well as the need to reduce or eliminate cross-contamination when handling trace and bulk materials. The development of facilities to produce microplastics reference materials requires careful consideration of anti-contamination processes to avoidance of cross contamination, and the inclusion of quality assuring steps, especially when producing concentrated amounts. This an area of work we are currently focusing on.
These considerations, and many others are a part of the work we do here at Chiron, while we continue to make the quality of microplastic standards in EUROqCHARM our business!
Contact person for Chiron: Jon Eigill Johansen