• VG ZAB-2SEQ hybrid sector (BEqQ) MS
  • VG AutoSpec M series sector (EBE) MS
  • VG Quattro II triple quadrupole MS
  • Micromass TofSpec-2e MALDI-TOF MS
  • Micromass-Waters LC-ZMD single quadrupole liquid chromatograph-MS
  • Agilent/HP 6890/5973 GC-MS
  • Bruker Apex 4.7T FTICR-MS
Agilent/Hewlett-Packard 6890-5973 GC-MS
The Agilent/HP 6890-5973 consists of a programmable oven (gas chromatograph, 6890) with split/splitless injection port coupled to a (5973) single quadrupole mass detector. Ions are formed by electron ionisation of the column eluent. This instrument is used for the separation of complex mixtures of (mostly) non-polar synthetic and natural compounds. A typical run consists of:

injecting a small aliquot (1-2 microlitres) of sample dissolved in a non-polar solvent of known retention timevaporisation of the sample in the heated injection portdiffusion of a small amount of sample vapour through a column mounted in the GC oventemporal separation of the sample fractions; the degree of separation (retention) depending on the shape/polarity of the constituent compounds and the degree of interaction with/affinity for the stationary phasepassing the eluent stream through a heated interface to the MS detector, which scans continously (recording data) after a small solvent delay. In this way, it is possible to obtain pure EI spectra for each compound (fraction) contained in the sample, which may not be possible by simply heating the solids probe in a conventional scanning mass spectrometer. The choice of the column type (stationary phase nature), column length, gas (He) flow rate and programmed temperature gradients all play important roles in the separation process.

The 6890/5973 is chiefly used by the organic chemists of RSC, and occasionally the biochemists/biologists of RSBS. It was purchased in late 1999, and installed early 2000.

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