Thermo push boundaries with new benchtop LC-MS system

The Exactive takes elements from Thermo's LTQ Orbitrap platform to bring to the bench a piece of kit capable of multiple screening and identification applications, providing sub-ppm mass accuracies at resolutions of up to 100,000. LC-MS has become a bit of a specialty for Thermo, who have taken great strides over its 50-year history to meet the needs of the pharmaceutical industry. The need to quickly analyse incoming raw materials has never been more critical as compliance with stricter FDA and GMP guidelines must be clearly documented. Its Orbitrap technology is a name that is widely associated with mass spectroscopy, having mastered the ability to miniaturise the high-resolution mass capabilities that previously could only be achieved with superconducting magnet systems. The Exactive LC-MS reorganises many of the technical steps that normally require specialised set up and operation. An intuitive software interface makes the system easy-to-use in both expert and 'walk-up' mode, while ensuring precise mass identification of target compounds over a wide concentration range. "Orbitrap technology has been an important driver of LC-MS growth in the world of biology​," said Ian Jardine, vice president of global research and development at Thermo Fisher Scientific. "We asked ourselves what we could do to fully realise the potential of this technology, to make it even more accessible to users with routine toxicology, environmental and drug development workflows. The result is an instrument that can be applied to a number of challenging new applications​." These applications and analytical challenges include the most complex of samples containing pesticides, metabolites or other target compounds. "Co-eluting compounds in complex matrices can be screened and confirmed in a single experiment simply by reanalyzing data at a higher resolution​," said Jardine. "For screening of isobaric compounds such as pesticides that differ by only a few milli-mass units, this accurate mass capability will be of enormous value​." Fully compatible with U-HPLC, when combined with single scan mass accuracy in positive and negative modes, Exactive becomes an ideal system for common screening and high-throughput applications. "Mass accuracy plays a critical role in reducing analysis times and increasing confidence even in routine measurements​," added Jardine. The potential for mass accuracy is ever growing, as new instrument technology produces more complete datasets, containing higher quality and more accurate spectra. But as mass spectrometers become more advanced, so must software designed to analyse the data they produce.