Last October, long-time mass spectroscopist Gerard Hopfgartner got a new toy. Applied Biosystems (AB) and its partner, MDS Sciex, sent Hopfgartner, professor of pharmaceutical analytical chemistry at the University of Geneva, a prototype instrument that combines the attributes of triple- quadrupole and ion trap mass spectrometers in a novel, hybrid configuration. Hopfgartner uses the instrument for both small-molecule and proteomics applications, and says he has been "personally quite impressed" with its performance so far. Now the rest of the mass spec community can take a gander as well: The two companies--from Foster City, Calif., and Concord, Ontario, respectively--officially launched the system, called Q TRAP™ LC/MS/MS, at the 50th Annual American Society of Mass Spectrometry conference in May.
Like standard triple-quad mass spectrometers (MS), the tandem Q TRAP system features three instruments.1 The first provides ion filtration, allowing users to select individual ions for further study. The second instrument is a ...
