Infrastructure
Instrumentation
Agilent 7250 GC/Q-TOF system:
This system from Agilent (Agilent, USA) combines 3 instruments into a high-resolution gas chromatograph-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer (GC/Q-TOF) that enables accurate mass screening by GC/MS, improved compound identification by MS/MS and low-energy electron ionisation. The mass resolution of the TOF (FWHM) is > 25,000 at m/z 271.9867.
In addition, the GC/Q-TOF is coupled with the MultiPurposeSampler MPS Robotic (MPS+ Autosampler) from Gerstel (Gerstel, Mühlheim, Germany). This is a multifunctional autosampler with a wide range of applications. It can be used as a sample preparation robot as well as an autosampler for the GC/Q-TOF system. The MPS Robotic has a modular design. It can be flexibly adapted to all requirements.
Vanquish Flex-UHPLC system with a Q-Exactive Orbitrap:
The LC-MS system consists of the Vanquish Flex-UHPLC system and the Q-Exactive Orbitrap from Thermo Fisher Scientific (Waltham, Massachusetts, USA). The UHPLC system enables rapid separation of substances, while the Orbitrap system provides accurate mass spectrometric data. Together, these two systems provide a robust platform for analysing compounds in complex samples.
More information at Thermo Fisher Scientific.
BreathSpec®:
The BreathSpec® consists of a gas chromatograph (GC) and ion mobility spectrometer (IMS). It was developed for the direct sampling and trace detection of volatile compounds (VOCs) in human breath. The BreathSpec® separates the high proportion of moisture in the breath from the sample using a gas chromatographic column and at the same time ensures a very high sensitivity of the IMS detector with detection limits for relevant volatile compounds in the lower ppbv range.
More information at G.A.S. Dortmund.
Proton transfer reaction mass spectrometer (PTR-MS):
The PTR-MS devices from IONICON ANALYTIK (INNSBRUCK, Austria) combine the very soft PTR ionisation with the ioniTOF (Time-of-Flight) mass spectrometer. These devices are used for the simultaneous real-time measurement of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with high sensitivity and low fragmentation of the ions.
The Institute Breath Gas Analysis owns 2 PTR-MS devices from IONICON ANALYTIK:
- PTR-TOF 8000: The mass resolution of the TOF 8000 is > 5000 m/Δm (FWHM) for m/z > 147 and the sensitivity is > 240 cps/ppbv at m/z 181.
- PTR-TOF 6000 X2: It is equipped with an ION-BOOSTER funnel and a hexapole as ION-GUIDE for an almost lossless transmission of an extremely focussed ion beam into the ioniTOF mass spectrometer. This increases the sensitivity and also improves the mass resolution of the instrument. In addition, the device is equipped with a FAST-GC, which enables the separation of isomeric compounds without having to forego fast spectral runs. The mass resolution of the TOF 6000X2 is > 6000 m/Δm (FWHM) for m/z > 147 and the sensitivity is > 2000 cps/ppbv at m/z 181.
More information at IONICON ANALYTIK and FAST-GC.