Virtual standards problem

[Philipp Poeml]

Hi John,

I get this error message with one of my virtual standards. Could you help me find out what I am doing wrong?

Cheers
Philipp

[John Donovan]

I get this error message with one of my virtual standards. Could you help me find out what I am doing wrong?
Philipp

Not sure. Please send me your MDB file off-line.

[Philipp Poeml]

Hi John,

in the same context I am trying to do the peak search for the Cm Mb line via the automate window, but PfE is not doing it. Here is the output of the verbose log. It is acutally not even trying, meaning it does not acquire any data, just says "Calibrate Peak Positions Automation Action is Completed
Warning: cm mb on spectrometer  2 QTZ could not be peak centered".

Cheers
Philipp


Getting crystal position for spectrometer 1
Crystal position for spectrometer 1 is LIF
Getting crystal position for spectrometer 2
Crystal position for spectrometer 2 is QTZ
Getting crystal position for spectrometer 3
Crystal position for spectrometer 3 is LIF
Getting crystal position for spectrometer 4
Crystal position for spectrometer 4 is PET
Getting crystal position for spectrometer 1
Crystal position for spectrometer 1 is LIF
Getting crystal position for spectrometer 2
Crystal position for spectrometer 2 is QTZ
Getting crystal position for spectrometer 3
Crystal position for spectrometer 3 is LIF
Getting crystal position for spectrometer 4
Crystal position for spectrometer 4 is PET


ROM Brent's Maxima Peak Center Results (cps):
 Element  Spectr  Peaked   StartPk    StopPk     Std  Offset    StartI     StopI
   ce la    1 LIF   No      .000000   .000000      57    -54.        .0        .0
   am ma    2 QTZ   No      53785.1   53788.0     997    88.8    2224.0    2219.9
   np ma    2 QTZ   No      .000000   .000000     354    89.5        .0        .0
    u ma    2 QTZ   No      .000000   .000000      65    78.6        .0        .0
   pu ma    2 QTZ   No      .000000   .000000      64    127.        .0        .0
   cm mb    2 QTZ   *No     .000000   .000000     999    66.8        .0        .0
   nd la    3 LIF   No      .000000   .000000      59    -48.        .0        .0
   gd la    3 LIF   No      .000000   .000000      50    -51.        .0        .0
   zr la    4 PET   No      .000000   .000000      63    -74.        .0        .0
    y la    4 PET   No      .000000   .000000      66   -103.        .0        .0

Getting crystal position for spectrometer 1
Crystal position for spectrometer 1 is LIF
Getting crystal position for spectrometer 2
Crystal position for spectrometer 2 is QTZ
Getting crystal position for spectrometer 3
Crystal position for spectrometer 3 is LIF
Getting crystal position for spectrometer 4
Crystal position for spectrometer 4 is PET
Calibrate Peak Positions Automation Action is Completed
Warning: cm mb on spectrometer  2 QTZ could not be peak centered
Getting crystal position for spectrometer 1
Crystal position for spectrometer 1 is LIF
Getting crystal position for spectrometer 2
Crystal position for spectrometer 2 is QTZ
Getting crystal position for spectrometer 3
Crystal position for spectrometer 3 is LIF
Getting crystal position for spectrometer 4
Crystal position for spectrometer 4 is PET

[John Donovan]

Maybe you are not on a sample with a high enough concentration of Cm? Try unchecking the Skip P/B checkbox and try peaking Cm again.

It might also be that because you declared std 999 a "virtual" standard for Cm, that it skips standard 999 for automated peaking.  Try peaking manually on a new unknown sample from the Acquire! window.
john

[Philipp Poeml]

Hi John,

I have exactly the same setup for Am Ma and this is working fine. It is also a virtual standard and declared as one. Also it has number 995 or so. Both standards are "pure metals" so have 100% of the element in question.

Edit: Btw: It does work if I do it manually from the acquire window. Same for Am.
Edit2: Toggling the "skip P/B check" did not help...

Cheers
Philipp

[John Donovan]

I have exactly the same setup for Am Ma and this is working fine. It is also a virtual standard and declared as one. Also it has number 995 or so. Both standards are "pure metals" so have 100% of the element in question.

Edit: Btw: It does work if I do it manually from the acquire window. Same for Am.
Edit2: Toggling the "skip P/B check" did not help...

Ok, this makes sense now. If you declared a std as "Virtual", then that means that the standard doesn't physically exist!  Therefore when performing automated peaking on standards from the Automate! window, the program automatically skips virtual standards!

So just peak the element manually from the Acquire! window as you just did, or uncheck the Use Virtual Standard checkbox in Assign Standards dialog. I'll also add warning for those virtual stds that are skipped during peaking.

Can I ask why you are declaring Cm and Am as virtual stds if you actually have them as physical stds !

As to why it can't find the 2nd virtual standard intensity, I will look into that.

[Philipp Poeml]

Problem is solved: I had selected Cm fake as the standard: I should have selected Cm virtual. This solved both issues at the same time!
Note: Cm fake is used to create an Am virtual standard.

Thanks for your help, John!

[Probeman]

Problem is solved: I had selected Cm fake as the standard: I should have selected Cm virtual. This solved both issues at the same time!
Note: Cm fake is used to create an Am virtual standard.

Thanks for your help, John!

Glad you figured it out, but I'm still interested in why you are declaring Cm and Am as virtual stds if you actually have them as physical stds !

[Philipp Poeml]

Unfortunately I do not have them as physical standards. I wish I had... I am using a calibration curve approach, presented last year at M&M... Following the same we used for Xe.

[Probeman]

Unfortunately I do not have them as physical standards. I wish I had... I am using a calibration curve approach, presented last year at M&M... Following the same we used for Xe.

I see. So when you wrote: "Both standards are "pure metals" so have 100% of the element in question",  you didn't mean you actually have them!

Anyway, glad it all works now.
john

[Philipp Poeml]

Ok, I see. Well, I had to define them as something in the standard mdb, and metals 100% are the most easy to calculate...