Robert Thomas
Principal of Scientific Solutions
Rob is a heavy metals expert and has written for Analytical Cannabis on the subject since 2019. Through his consulting company Scientific Solutions, he has helped educate countless professionals in the cannabis testing community on heavy metal analysis. He is also an editor and frequent contributor of the Atomic Perspectives column in Spectroscopy magazine, and has authored five textbooks on the principles and applications of mass spectrometry. Rob has an Advanced Degree in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Wales, UK, and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and a chartered chemist.
Latest content from Robert Thomas
ASTM Announces Symposium on Contaminants in the Cannabis and Hemp Industry
The three-day virtual ASTM D37 Symposium on Contaminants in the Cannabis and Hemp Industry and Their Impact on Consumer Safety will take place between October 10-12, 2023.
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Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry: What Factors Are Driving Its Application Landscape?
Download this listicle to learn more about ICP-MS principles of operation, the components of an ICP mass spectrometer and the applications of ICP-MS.
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What the Cannabis Industry Should Know About Stainless Steel
Heavy metals expert Robert Thomas explores how stainless steel equipment could pose a contamination risk in cannabis operations.
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Conducting Heavy Metals Testing
How is heavy metal testing carried out on cannabis samples? This Analytical Cannabis infographic explains all. Download to learn the six steps cannabis samples go through to be tested for heavy metals.
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Measuring Heavy Metal Contaminants in Cannabis and Hemp by ICP-MS: Overcoming Real-World Challenges
Penned by heavy metal expert Robert Thomas, this How to Guide outlines the benefits of ICP-MS and the many ways analysts can use it well.
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Understanding Sources of Heavy Metals in Cannabis and Hemp: Benefits of a Risk Assessment Strategy – Part 4
In the fourth and final part of their new series, Rob Thomas and Tony Destefano explore potential elemental sources in the production, packaging, and delivery of cannabis consumer products.
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Understanding Sources of Heavy Metals in Cannabis and Hemp: Benefits of a Risk Assessment Strategy – Part 3
In the third part of their new series, Rob Thomas and Tony Destefano examine the critically important step of extracting cannabinoids from the biomass, the flower, and other parts of the cannabis plant.
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Understanding Sources of Heavy Metals in Cannabis and Hemp: Benefits of a Risk Assessment Strategy – Part 2
In the second part of a new series, Rob Thomas and Tony Destefano discuss whether a risk assessment strategy could help industry members to better understand all the potential sources of elemental contaminants along the cannabis supply chain.
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Understanding Sources of Heavy Metals in Cannabis and Hemp: Benefits of a Risk Assessment Strategy – Part 1
In the first part of a new series, Rob Thomas and Tony Destefano outline what the cannabis testing sector can learn from the pharmaceutical industry when it comes to heavy metal contamination.
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Expanding the Panel of Elemental Contaminants in Cannabis and Hemp Consumer Products by ICP-MS: Do You Know the Cost Difference?
Robert Thomas, a leading heavy metals expert in the cannabis testing sector and principle of the consulting company Scientific Solutions, breaks down the cost differences between testing for four heavy metals and for fifteen.
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