CalGroup & standard addition
Group bottles that share a curve; Calibration vs StdAdd mode; vs Initial/Bracket.
Use CalGroup when one batch needs more than one calibration story — for example two matrices, two instruments already merged under AcqKeys, or a standard-addition set beside a normal curve.
What CalGroup is
CalGroup is a label on bottles. Bottles with the same label share:
- One curve (or one standard-addition line)
- Blank-offset / blank-concentration picking when you use Average (CalGroup) or sequence modes that stay inside the group
Bottles with an empty CalGroup share the default group.
CalGroup is not a sample type. Sample types stay Blank / Calibration / QC / Sample / Solvent. Fortified amount still lives on Dose.
Mode: Calibration vs StdAdd
| CalGroup Mode | What Quanto builds |
|---|---|
| Calibration | A normal ESTD or ISTD curve from the Calibration bottles in that group |
| StdAdd | A standard-addition line from the spiked Calibration bottles in that group; the shared native (unspiked) amount is taken from the addition line |
For StdAdd:
- Put the addition set in its own CalGroup and set Mode StdAdd.
- Mark spiked bottles Calibration with the spike increment as Dose (not the total amount in the bottle).
- Keep the unspiked native in that story as the native the line reports — see also Blank concentration if you also subtract a method blank toward NativeConc.
Recovery % for additions still uses the spike increment on Dose (RecPct).
CalGroup vs Initial / Bracket
| Setting | Job |
|---|---|
| CalGroup | Which bottles share one curve / blank pool |
| Calibration mode = Initial | One curve in time for that group’s cal set |
| Calibration mode = Bracket | Cut cal sets by acquisition time; each sample block uses surrounding cal sets within the same CalGroup story |
You can bracket inside a group. You can also run two CalGroups side by side with Initial mode. Do not confuse CalGroup with AcqKey (instrument / imported method set) — AcqKey is for Key Review; CalGroup is for calibration grouping.
Blank offset and blank concentration
Blank-use modes that say CalGroup only average (or walk) blanks inside that group. Average (overall) ignores CalGroup and uses every eligible blank in the batch. Guides: Blank offset, Blank concentration.
Setup checklist
- On Samples, fill CalGroup for bottles that belong together.
- Set the group Mode to Calibration or StdAdd.
- Confirm Calibration / QC doses (spike increment for StdAdd).
- Choose Initial vs Bracket on the method.
- Set Origin / Blank corr / Blank use if needed.
- Analyze, then check the curve per group and Method Validation.