Agilent Technologies Introduces Improvements to Single Quadrupole Mass Spectrometers for Increased Precision, Speed

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) today introduced enhancements to its 6100 Series of single quadrupole mass spectrometers that provide customers with a wide range of benefits, including increased precision and speed. The specific benefits are:

for high-throughput labs, the ability to obtain high-quality mass spectrometer (MS) data across very narrow chromatographic peaks (in the range of one second in peak width);
maximum spectral information confirming that the correct peaks are being identified;
faster POS/NEG mode switching, providing more information, even for the very narrow chromatographic peaks; and
more universal detection of new chemical entities where it is difficult to predict the best ionization conditions.
In addition to the new ultra-fast positive/negative switching, the research-grade model Agilent 6140 now features fast scanning at 10,000 amu/sec with industry-leading data quality. All four of the Agilent 6100 single quad models have improved injection-to-injection cycle time, providing further efficiencies for high-throughput labs. Combined with additional capabilities, including the multimode source’s ability to perform simultaneous electrospray ionization (ESI) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI), these upgraded systems enable nearly 100-percent coverage for almost all drug candidates.

“Agilent is a market leader in single-quad technology, with Agilent single quads used in pharmaceutical and chemical analysis laboratories around the world,” said Agilent’s Gus Salem, VP and general manager, LC/MS. “We have introduced these changes to give our 6100 Series customers more options tailored to their analytical needs.”

Agilent 6100 Series Quadrupole LC/MS systems put the sensitivity, selectivity, and information content of mass spectrometry into a compact package. Four models are available:

The Agilent 6140 Single Quad is a high-performance, fast-scanning model designed for high-throughput laboratories. With a scanning speed of 10,000 amu/second, it keeps pace with the Agilent 1200 Rapid Resolution LC system, the industry’s fastest liquid chromatograph.
The Agilent 6130 Single Quad is a full-featured research-grade model, offering 1-picogram sensitivity, multi-signal capability and a full mass range to 3,000 amu.
The Agilent 6120 Single Quad offers 10-picogram sensitivity and positive/negative switching capability. It enables drug discovery and development researchers to rapidly analyze new compound libraries.
The Agilent 6110 Single Quad is an entry-level model offering 10-picogram sensitivity.
Like all Agilent 6000 Series instruments, the single quads feature Agilent’s autotune function, which improves ease of use, uptime and productivity by eliminating the need for manual recalibration from sample to sample. The single quads are compatible with the broadest range of ion sources in the industry, each of them easily exchanged. Among these ion sources is Agilent’s proprietary multimode ion source, which is the only technology on the market to provide simultaneous ESI and APCI data. This improves productivity by reducing the need for repeated experimental runs and by producing more information per unit of time. The single quads have small footprints, only 15 inches of linear bench space, which helps conserve valuable laboratory space.

For more information, contact the Agilent Customer Call Center (phone numbers by country are available at www.chem.agilent.com/scripts/cag_feedback.asp) or visit Agilent online at www.agilent.com/chem/SQ.