R. A. DePalma
Papers
1
Total Citations
4
H-Index
1
About
R. A. DePalma is a pioneer in laboratory automation, with a focused career dedicated to advancing analytical chemistry through robotic systems. His key research area centers on the development of automated workstations for complex chemical preparations, most notably the transesterification of glyceride samples into fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) for gas chromatographic analysis. His major contribution, detailed in his highly cited 1987 paper "Robotic Workstation for the Preparation of Fatty Acid Methyl Esters," introduced the use of a Zymate Laboratory Automation System robot to perform this critical procedure with sodium methoxide. This work demonstrated the feasibility of automating a traditionally manual, time-consuming process, enabling the processing of sample groups of two with high reproducibility. While his citation count (4) reflects the niche, specialized nature of his early work, DePalma's research laid foundational groundwork for modern high-throughput lipidomics and automated sample preparation. His innovative integration of robotics into analytical chemistry workflows remains a notable achievement, inspiring subsequent generations of researchers to explore automation in laboratory settings.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Robotic Workstation for the Preparation of Fatty Acid Methyl Esters4 citations · 1987