Sample Development and Preparation in Analytical Laboratories
In analytical work, the largest errors often happen before the sample reaches the instrument: in how it was collected, stored, subsampled, extracted or digested. This programme gives laboratory staff a practical, quality-focused approach to sample handling and preparation, so that results are representative, repeatable and defensible under a laboratory quality system.
25 - 29 October 2026
Amsterdam
5 Days
USD 5,500Laboratories invest heavily in instruments and calibration, yet many out-of-specification results, failed proficiency tests and customer disputes trace back to sample preparation. Samples arrive unrepresentative or poorly preserved, subsampling is not controlled, extraction and digestion methods are applied without understanding their limits, contamination and analyte loss go unnoticed, and preparation steps are left out of validation and uncertainty estimates.
This programme follows the sample from collection to the prepared test portion. It moves through five stages: sampling and sample integrity, physical preparation and subsampling, chemical preparation methods for different matrices and analytes, control of contamination and losses, and quality assurance of the whole preparation process.
Built on recognised practice. The programme references ISO/IEC 17025 requirements for sampling, handling of test items and assuring the validity of results, Eurachem guidance on method validation and on measurement uncertainty arising from sampling, and good laboratory practice for chain of custody and records. Participants learn how to apply these requirements to their own preparation procedures.
Decisions this programme improves. Which preparation method suits a given matrix and analyte; how much sample is needed and how to subsample it; which preservation and storage conditions protect the result; which blanks, spikes and reference materials to include in a batch; when a preparation step must be validated or revalidated; and how to investigate a suspect result.
How it is delivered. Twenty hours across five sessions, built around worked case studies from environmental, food, petroleum and industrial laboratories. Participants review preparation procedures, design quality control for a batch and investigate a result that failed a proficiency test.
In-house option. For organisations, the programme can be tailored to your own matrices, methods, instruments and quality procedures, and can include a review of selected standard operating procedures with your laboratory team.
Who Should Attend
Objectives
Course Outline
Competencies
Amsterdam
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