Agilent Technologies Introduces Triple Quadrupole Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometer

Reliability of Best-Selling GC/MSD Extended to Analysis of More-Complex Samples at Lower Levels
DENVER, ASMS 2008, June 2008


Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) chose the American Society for Mass Spectrometry conference to introduce its 7000A triple quadrupole gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer (GC/MS/MS), designed to make high-end performance accessible to a wide range of commercial and government users.

“This new platform brings the proven ruggedness of our best-selling Agilent 5975C single quadrupole GC/MSD to a triple quadrupole system, suited for lower levels of detection and dirtier matrices,” said Chris Toney, Agilent vice president and general manager, GC/MS and ICP-MS. “Users no longer have to make do with research instruments adapted for their needs. We designed the Agilent 7000A GC/MS/MS from the ground up for routine, high-performance, high-throughput operation.”

At ASMS, Agilent emphasized that many of its current mass spectrometers are “smashing sensitivity barriers.” The 7000A supports this position by delivering femtogram-level sensitivity. For example, the system will detect 100 fg of OFN on column at greater than 100:1 signal-to-noise ratio in MS/MS mode using Autotune parameters. This performance was verified at the end-user site on installation.

Agilent’s proprietary Autotune program tunes the source, mass analyzer and detector for ion transmission, mass axis calibration, mass resolution and detector gain versus voltage. Autotune settings are saved with the method for repeatable method performance.

Mass range is 1050 u, and the fast Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) speed of 500 per second enables users to determine more compounds per ion group than with comparable instruments.

While the Agilent 7000A GC/MS/MS is a new instrument, its core components are based on proven designs of the Agilent 5975C GC/MSD.

Like the 5975C, the reliability of the 7000A is anchored by Agilent’s proprietary, well-proven heated monolithic gold-plated hyperbolic quartz quadrupole analyzer. The one-piece quadrupole can be heated to 200 degrees Celsius with no detectable dimensional change, remaining highly stable and clean even with high-boiling, dirty samples. Time-consuming cleaning of quadrupoles is not required, and Agilent GC/MS systems hold highly stable tunes and methods for long intervals. This stability also makes the Autotune function perform extremely well.

System cleaning is further reduced by the proprietary capillary flow, technology-based backflush function of Agilent’s GC system, greatly reducing post-run bakeout time. This also reduces chemical background, extends column life and contributes to the outstanding sensitivity of the 7000A.

“Existing GC/MSD workflows can be maintained in many cases,” Toney added. “The ideal candidate is someone using a GC/MSD in Selected Ion Monitoring mode, who sees the benefits of additional sensitivity and selectivity. The transition from single to triple quad in this case is easy.”

The 7000A also shares Agilent’s proprietary high-temperature solid inert ion source with the popular 5975C, further contributing to the system’s outstanding sensitivity. The well-proven source is programmable up to 350 degrees Celsius to provide excellent response for active compounds and late eluters. High temperature also means much less frequent cleaning, reducing labor requirements and increasing uptime. The source’s dual filament design further extends maintenance intervals.

The system’s high performance Triple-Axis Detector provides ultra-low neutrals noise and is designed for long life and high linearity. Gain calibration corrects tune file for detector age, allowing for repeatable long-term method performance.

The Agilent 7000A GC/MS/MS runs on MassHunter Workstation software, the powerful, intuitive system for instrument control, data acquisition, qualitative and quantitative data analysis, and reporting. Agilent recently announced that MassHunter Workstation is being designed to support all Agilent GC/MS and LC/MS systems.