Sample preparation is key to good analytical results as in most cases analytical instruments give inaccurate results with real samples. Because preparation of a sample requires a procedure, there is a decision to be made around inclusion of the complete procedure or just a reference to the procedure (either formal standard or in-house). While I think that it is important to provide a mechanism to allow users to articulate each step in sample preparation, I imagine that referencing a procedure will be significantly more common. Anything missing? If so, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
10-02-14: Moved some of the metadata to the 'Sample" category and made some new items here for subsamples
04-28-15: Moved interference to the description category
- sample name: the name given to the sample (string) [09-23-14]
- subsample id: the unique identifier(s) of the subsample(s) (e.g. sample identifier + discriminator) (string) [09-23-14]
- subsample amount: the mass or volume of the subsample(s) processed for analysis (float/decimal) [10-02-14]
- subsample unit: the unit of the quantity of the subsample amount(s) (string) [10-02-14]
- procedure: a textual description of the procedural steps used to convert the raw sample into a sample ready for analysis (string) [09-23-14]
-- OR --
step(s): each procedural step separately recorded with some indication of the order the steps were taken (e.g. 1-10, A thru M) (string) [09-23-14] - storage conditions: how/where the sample is stored after laboratory processing but prior to analysis (string) [09-23-14]
- analysis timeframe: how long the analyst has to analyze the sample to maintain accuracy of the procedure (float/decimal) [new 04-28-15]
- chain of custody: whether a chain-of-custody was maintained for the sample during the preparation (string) [09-23-14]
- interferences: information about interferences that can be an issue in the sample preparation (string) [09-23-14] (moved to description 04-28-15)
- safety: any safety issues relative the sample preparation [09-23-14]
- waste: information about waste generated from the preparation procedure [09-23-14]
- keyword(s): any important terms that characterize the sample preparation process [09-23-14]
(e.g. liquid/liquid extraction, solid phase extraction, preconcentration, mesh sieving, hot-plate digestion, microwave digestion, etc.) - reference: a formatted citation to a published version of the procedure used [09-23-14]
