Type of Mass Spectrometer

Mass spectrometry (MS) is a powerful analytical tool with high sensitivity and high mass accuracy. In recent years, technological innovations based on mass spectrometry have provided a range of highly sensitive and versatile instruments for high-throughput, high-sensitivity, and proteome-scale analyses. Next, we will introduce some types of mass spectrometers to assist your research.

Types of Mass Spectrometers

Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry
Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is a commonly used MS technique. MALDI is a soft ionization technique that uses laser energy to produce ions with minimal fragmentation. In TOF, protonated ions are accelerated through an electric field, giving ions the same kinetic energy as any other ions with the same charge. The speed of the ions depends on the mass-to-charge ratio (m/z), and the time taken for ions to reach the detector is measured. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometers can analyze a wide range of biomolecules, including peptides and carbohydrates.

Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry
Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer (TQMS or QqQ) is a tandem mass spectrometer where the first and third quadrupoles act as mass filters, and the second quadrupole serves as a collision cell to fragment selected precursor/parent ions into product/daughter ions. TQMS is perhaps the most well-known and widely used tandem mass spectrometer. It is relatively simple to use, offers good reproducibility, and can provide various applications at low cost. Triple quadrupole mass spectrometers can be used for structural elucidation, providing information on fragmentation patterns. TQMS is very useful for quantitative studies. Due to enhanced sensitivity and specificity, lowering the limits of detection and quantitation, TQMS is an important choice in many fields such as drug development, clinical research, environmental studies, etc.

Quadrupole Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry

Quadrupole Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry (Quadrupole Trap MS) is a hybrid triple mass spectrometer. Unlike classical triple quadrupole mass spectrometers, Q3 can function as a standard quadrupole mass filter or as a linear ion trap (LIT), which has higher sensitivity than traditional 3D ion traps. This instrument retains the classical triple quadrupole scanning functions (such as selected reaction monitoring, SRM) and can also be used for sensitive ion trap experiments.

Hybrid Linear Ion Trap-Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry

Hybrid Linear Ion Trap-Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry combines a linear ion trap with high-resolution Orbitrap, forming a type of tandem mass spectrometer. The LIT confines ions radially using a set of quadrupoles and axially with static potentials on end electrodes. The Orbitrap consists of an axially symmetric mass analyzer where ions move in orbital motion around a central spindle. The image current is then detected and transformed into a mass spectrum through Fourier transform. This hybrid mass spectrometer is widely used in proteomics and metabolomics analyses.

Quadrupole-Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry

Quadrupole-Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry combines high-performance quadrupole precursor selection with high-resolution, accurate-mass (HR/AM) Orbitrap detection. The first mass analyzer is a quadrupole, and the second is a high-resolution Orbitrap. It can be widely applied in fields such as proteomics, metabolomics, food safety, toxicology, etc. Biotyper can provide various services using quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometers.

Biotyper can offer various services in a wide range of applications based on different types of mass spectrometry. If you want to learn more details, feel free to contact us.