Lara's Graphitized Carbon Story - Lara Laboratori

LARA S.r.l. is interested, from 1990, in the control of chemical pollutants in the atmosphere, waters, food, in the extraction of analites in biological fluids, in problems related with safety in working environments, and has acquired from Carbochimica Romana the technology required for the realization of products based on graphitized carbon black. Carbochimica Romana S.r.l. was founded in 1976 with the aim of producing, finding new applications, and commercializing innovating products for chemical analysis. The most important product is "Graphitized Carbon Black". The products of Carbochimica Romana were supplied for a long time to American companies (Supelco, Alltech), which saw to world-wide distribution and diffusion with different commercial name.

Soon after, with the name Carbograph, later on registered by LARA Srl, Carbochimica Romana started to commercialize directly its own products, by then diffusely used for its wide range of applications described in international scientific literature.

From 1997 Carbochimica Romana has transferred its technology for producing Carbograph to LARA S.r.l.. As it is well known, the preparation and use of graphitized carbon black in chromatography and related techniques have been developed during the last thirty years by Italian researchers under the direction of Prof. Fabrizio Bruner of University of Urbino, Prof. Antonio Di Corcia and Prof. Arnaldo Liberti of University "La Sapienza" of Rome and Dr. Paolo Ciccioli, Research Director of CNR at the head of the MS Service of the Area of Research of CNR of Rome.

“CARBOGRAPH” is obtained from different kinds of carbon black derived from mineral oil or natural gas heated in an oxygen poor environment. These products are widely used in the tire and inks industries.
The graphitization process, which consists in bringing carbon black to very high temperatures in an oxygen-free environment, deeply modifies the physical-chemical and crystallographic properties of the original material.

In the past there was a great deal of interest concerning these products among researchers in the attempt to improve its industrial applications, but with little success.  However, at the end of the sixties several researchers discovered the peculiar adsorbing gas chromatographic properties which give Graphitized Carbon Black numerous advantages over other commonly used adsorbents, such as silica gel, alumina and porous polimers.

At that time, some Italian researchers invented a technique which allowed the full utilization of the adsorptive properties of graphitized carbon together with those of opportune liquid stationary phases deposited uniformly in small quantities on its surface.  Through this discovery a new gas chromatographic technique was invented which led to extremely interesting applications for the analysis of complex mixtures of organic compounds.

CARBOGRAPH products by LARA are based on exclusive processes of graphitation and treatments which make them the very best existing on the market in terms of physical-chemical properties and analytical applications.

The continuous progress of scientific research and development of new products commercialized by LARA, guarantee customers immediate updating regarding all information concerning the profitable use of our products as well as updating on all new applications and analytical methods obtained in laboratory and in qualified research centres in this field.