Why Riva Still Matters

The International Symposium on Capillary Chromatography and the GC×GC Symposia – “Riva” – has long occupied a special place in the separation science community. As the meeting returns after a five-year hiatus, we spoke with Fernando Lancas, Professor of Chemistry at the University of São Paulo and a veteran of nearly every Riva meeting, about how the symposium shaped modern chromatography – and why it remains uniquely valuable.

Please tell us about your scientific background and relationship with Riva 

My scientific career began during my PhD under Carol Collins – Professor at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil – in nuclear chemistry. At that time, I used traditional low-pressure liquid chromatography in glass columns to separate the species produced in a nuclear reactor under neutron bombardment conditions. During my PhD presentation, Harold McNair from Virginia Tech, USA, was on an international mission to evaluate the quality of the PhD program at UNICAMP and was able to attend as part of his evaluation duties. After the ceremony, we had a nice talk, and he invited me for a postdoc placement in his lab. This really boosted my interest in chromatography.  

Around this time, I had the idea of organizing a Latin American Symposium on Chromatography and Related Techniques (COLACRO). To establish a strong scientific reputation for the meeting, McNair suggested including Pat Sandra and Carl Cramers on the Scientific Committee. The inaugural COLACRO was held in 1986 at the Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the meeting has been held every two years (with rare exceptions) for almost four decades. We celebrated the 20th COLACRO in October 2025 at Campos do Jordão, Brazil.

The first time I heard about Riva was from McNair. He suggested that I attend the meeting to talk with potential speakers for the COLACRO meeting (Rudolf Kaiser participated in the first meeting, as did Pat Sandra, who later replaced Kaiser as chairman of the Riva meeting). Attending the meeting, I had the opportunity to make numerous contacts of great relevance to my research, as well as to improve the organization of COLACRO and other scientific conferences I helped create.

Over the years, I have developed an excellent and long-lasting relationship with the Riva meeting. In fact, I have had the opportunity to attend almost every edition – from when Rud Kaiser was chairman, up to the last meeting before the COVID pandemic. I have brought dozens of my PhD students to Riva – something of a reward for the best of them!

How would you characterize the historic role of Riva? 

Riva was (and remains) a special place for chromatography enthusiasts – who generally aim never to miss an edition. I remember many excellent lectures and discussions over the years: Marcel Golay, the inventor of open-tubular gas chromatography – now the standard for GC columns – giving an excellent talk; research groups led by Grob discussing the injectors and injection techniques for capillary GC; Sandra and Schomburg – among others – presenting more robust stationary phases and coating procedures for preparing excellent GC columns; Kaiser discussing multidimensional chromatography; and so on. All these efforts are now incorporated into our established instruments, columns, detectors, and software. Most do not know (or remember) that they were developed by scientists, and the technology was later transferred to instrument and accessories companies to become commercial products now used on a routine basis.

Riva made it possible for a young researcher to meet the pioneers  mentioned above – and others, such as: Huber, Giddings, Horvath, Kirkland, Jennings, Guiochon, Knox, Jinno, and so on – who developed the principles, instrumentation, and main applications of chromatography. They were all happy to talk with young scientists looking for new directions to drive their research. Indeed, the most influential and beneficial aspects of the meeting are by far the “unofficial” contacts with colleagues: the innovations discussed at coffee, during dinner, or later, which complement the scientific program. 

Are you enthusiastic about the restart of Riva after its five-year hiatus? 

I am very enthusiastic about the restart of the Riva meeting – especially considering the success of the recent COLACRO meeting. Several things have changed over the past five years, including the people who traditionally attend. The next generation will, one hopes, bring new and exciting innovations to the meeting. Indeed, several new tools will now have more space as a result of: the widespread adoption of AI, improvements in 3D printing systems, better and more affordable MSs, full automation from sample prep to final analytical results, and more. 

Who stands to benefit most from the meeting? 

In my opinion, all segments of the analytical science ecosystem stand to benefit from the Riva meeting. Experts have a unique opportunity to promote their products, ideas, and hypotheses to a specific audience, thereby incentivizing talented students present at the meeting to consider them as advisors for future PhD or Postdoc programs. The students themselves would have the opportunity to find future advisers by meeting them in person. Those considering changing their research focus could find new ideas for further experiments under their own conditions, as well as an opportunity to collaborate with a colleague also interested in the same subject. 

At the same time, instrument developers and builders will have a unique opportunity to discuss potential practical applications, and vendors will have a very select, highly motivated group of people already interested in their products. Those exhibitors will be able to showcase their main products to a group of people eager for novelty. In fact, over the years, many projects discussed during (and after) the meeting involving scientists, developers, and manufacturers have taken place. I have seen innovations in detectors, injectors, new column technologies, and software, introduced in oral and poster sessions and later discussed with interested companies. This interaction is significant for both parties once the instrument companies transform the idea or prototype into a commercial product.

But it isn’t just the fully commercialized innovations. I have observed that several scientists from Latin America had the opportunity to discuss at Riva the principles of the techniques under development and to adapt them to local realities. Many “homemade” products were developed, particularly for use in education and research at universities, without infringing on the patents of commercial products. 

Which developments are currently “hot” in the chromatography field?

Most instrument companies are investing more in applications (omics, environmental, food, VOCs, pharmaceuticals, clinical, and more), as opposed to significant improvements in instrumentation. For example, most GC ovens are still the same as they were in the 50s; most GC instruments are limited to the use 0.1 mm id columns; coupling LC to MS is still a problem due to the limitations of API interfaces; nanoLC pumps do not operate in a robust and reproducible; commercial detector cells for micro and nano LC are not appropriate; there are no commercial open tubular columns for nano LC; and so on. On the other hand, many novel applications, particularly involving the analysis of biomolecules, food-derived products, novel environmental contaminants, and pharmaceutical contaminants such as nitrosamines, are receiving considerable attention. 

Another relevant and hot topic is micro-sample preparation techniques. There is a large number of new miniaturized techniques and novel sorbent nanomaterials that improve the efficiency of these techniques. These micro techniques are more sustainable and environmentally friendly, and more conducive to overall analytical automation – from sample preparation to the final analytical report.  

Finally, could you sum up, in one sentence, what makes Riva so special? 

In a nutshell, Riva uniquely combines a strong scientific and technical program, an exhibition showcasing leading companies, with a beautiful setting, a genuinely relaxed atmosphere – at just the right size and scale. I’ll see you there. 

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