Mass Spectrometry

High resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HR-TOF-MS) with a novel multimode ionization source together with enhanced chromatographic resolution can successfully detect and identify pollutants in household dust samples. Here’s how.

Our annual review of new high performance liquid chromatography instruments, mass spectrometry systems, and data processing software.

Newer direct-injection mass spectrometry techniques can improve real-time monitoring of volatile organic compounds.

High-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) is an increasingly critical tool for identifying, characterizing, and monitoring attributes of protein-based therapeutics.

Glen Jackson, Professor of Forensic and Investigative Science at West Virginia University, presented an "Expert Algorithm for Substance Identification (EASI): A New Paradigm for Mass Spectral Identifications" at SciX 2021, where it earned the FACSS Innovations Award. These awards are given for the most innovative and outstanding new research advancements debuted orally at the SciX Conference. Jackson spoke to Current Trends in Mass Spectrometry about his presentation.

Charge detection mass spectrometry (CDMS) is a useful tool to characterize larger, more complex biopharmaceuticals like bispecific antibodies and ADCs.

Understanding the design and operation of a quadrupole mass analyzer can help you plan, optimize, and troubleshoot analytical methods.

The presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in products used every day by millions of people is a cause of concern among both consumers and scientists. PFAS found in drinking water and the environment can cause serious health issues in animals and humans. Amanda Belunis, who is a PhD candidate at the University of Maryland in Baltimore County, has been investigating the use of liquid chromatography­­–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) to detect PFAS from a variety of environmental sources. She spoke with us about methods used to detect PFAS and described a new method that she and her team have developed to enhance PFAS detection.

QuEChERS has been updated to suit modern instrumentation. Now also “efficient and robust,” QuEChERSER is a “mega-method” that covers a wider polarity range.

Intact mass analysis is becoming increasingly useful for characterizing biologics. We describe the current application of intact mass analysis, including quantitation, sequencing, and structural characterization.

Stefan A. Pieconzonka and Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin have profiled diverse beer samples by rapid flow-injection analysis (FIA) Fourier transform ion cyclotron mass spectrometry (FTICR–MS). Here, they discuss their approach to this analysis, along with the significance of the Maillard Reaction (MR) in beer quality and analysis.

Interest in three-dimensional (3D) printing technology is expanding rapidly. What impact can it have in mass spectrometry? Robert Winkler, of the Center for Research and Advanced Studies Irapuato, in Guanajuato, Mexico, is exploring this question. We recently spoke with Prof. Winkler about this work.

The UHPLC–MS/MS method can accurately determine the presence of these illegal feed additives in swine tissues.

LC–MS/MS has gained momentum as an orthogonal approach to ELISA for host-cell protein (HCP) analysis. LC–MS/MS can identify and quantify individual HCPs, and help ensure that no HCPs evade detection above a reportable limit.

These case studies illustrate how the pharmaceutical industry utilizes mass spectrometry–based solutions to address product quality concerns, particularly when extremely low detection limits are required and when development resources are limited.

Even compared to other biopharmaceuticals, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies are particularly complex. Mass spectrometry (MS)–based process analytical technologies can be a powerful tool in identifying and monitoring key attributes throughout the manufacturing process.

Non-proximate MS presents challenges for ion transmission and preventing loss of analyte signal. For continuous, direct MS analysis, there are four models for non-proximate MS that work best.

This study illustrates the importance of column selection during GC method development.

In recent years, top-down mass spectrometry has quickly advanced from academic rarity to (near-) routine. How did we get here? And what can we expect in the near future?

Recent developments in high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) are aiding biopharmaceutical development and simplifying routine monitoring, with applications in areas like multi-attribute methods, coupling established purity methods with MS, and subunit analysis.

HS-SPME-GC–MS was combined with OPLS-DA data analysis to tentatively identify eight chemical markers to differentiate the geographical origins of cigar leaf samples.

Ensuring complete overlapping (coelution) of analyte and internal standard peaks can be critical for eliminating matrix effects in LC–MS/MS analysis.

This 7-minute method enables easy analysis of bitter flavors in beer.

At ChromTalks, experienced speakers shared mistakes made during their careers.

Mary Ellen McNally knows how to solve complex and pressing problems in the industry.

Modern ion mobility–mass spectrometry (IM–MS) is a key separation technology for detailed molecular characterization studies and also as part of emerging data acquisition strategies for demanding small molecule and several applications. Here is what you need to know.

Analysis of extractables and leachables (E&L) from plastic packaging is of great importance for pharmaceutical product safety. Accurate and rapid identification of unknown compounds in E&L is often complex and challenging. To address this challenge, we demonstrate a quick method for oligomer determination using LC–QTOF-MS.

Supplementing short pulse lasers with laser postionization increases ionization yields for desorption and ablation of solid samples in mass spectrometry. Here, we give an overview of the mechanisms and technical requirements for molecular photoionization in femtosecond (fs) laser desorption postionization mass spectrometry (LDPI-MS).

Using ion mobility, analytes that have the same molecular mass can be separated by their shape, centers of mass, and collision cross section, but challenges such as ion loss can still occur. A new development in ion mobility separation, high-resolution ion mobility (HRIM), addresses such problems, and is particularly well suited to challenging applications, such as glycosylation monitoring of biological drugs and vitamin D analysis.

Two-dimensional liquid chromatography (2D-LC) allows much greater resolution of peaks than is possible in a classical single dimensional separation. For the next development in separations, we employed 2D-LC in two highly orthogonal dimensions of separation with four mass spectrometers for detection, with parallel detection in each dimension. We have further broken ground by using three dimensions of separation with four mass spectrometers, using two parallel second dimensions.