GC-MS/MS TripleQuad (EVOLUTION)
The CHROMTECH EVOLUTION is built upon the most popular GC-MS system, the Agilent 5973/5975. Keeping the original inert ion source, the true hyperbolic quadrupole and, in the case of the latest 5975C, the highly sensitive Triple Axis detector, provides the best possible basis for the next logical step in mass spectrometry: MS/MS. By adding a proprietary IonRail(TM) collision cell and another high precision quadrupole–serving as mass filter Q3 – the Agilent MSD is easily upgraded to a triple quadrupole instrument, the CHROMTECH EVOLUTION. Imagine all the possibilities of MS/MS combined with the ruggedness and reliability of the Agilent MSD 5973/75 series base instrument.
Function and Advantages of Triple Quadrupole-MS/MS
A triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (QqQ) links two stages of mass analysis. The first quadrupole mass filter (Q1) pre-selects a precursor ion (a.k.a. "parent ion") which is fragmented by collision with an inert gas in the RF-only collision cell (q2). A resulting product ion ("daughter ion") is subsequently selected by the third quadrupole (Q3) mass filter.
Selected Reaction Monitoring (SRM) (often called MRM) described above is the most sensitive and selective MS/MS technique to quantitate low levels of target compounds, especially in the presence of high background from sample matrix. Chemical background, usually present in single quad analysis (SIM) is almost completely eliminated.
The much improved selectivity in SRM mode results in much lower detection limits for pesticide residues, drugs, etc. in dirty extracts. Typical applications for the MS/MS technique are doping analysis, forensic science, drug testing, pesticide residues in food, biomarker analysis for oil exploration, dioxine trace analysis, etc. In essence, samples with complex matrix.
Note that with an Evolution-upgraded Agilent GC-MS, regular Scan and SIM, ie. Single Quad modes, are still available and all data analysis is still done in MSD Chemstation software. Methods are also created in Chemstation, with an additional menu entry and dialog window for setting up MS and MS/MS parameters.
