User guide

Basic Acquisition Methods
AB SCIEX TripleTOF
®
5600/5600+ Instruments
44 of 116
System User Guide
D5033331 A
Scan Techniques
The system is a versatile and reliable system for performing liquid chromatography mass
spectrometry analysis on liquid sample streams to identify, quantify, and examine polar
compounds.
The system uses the following mass spectrometry techniques to analyze samples:
• Two modes of single mass spectrometry (MS):
• Quadrupole-based single mass spectrometry (for Q1 calibration only)
• Time-of-flight-based single mass spectrometry
• Two modes of tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS):
• Product ion mass spectrometry
• Precursor ion mass spectrometry
Single Mass Spectrometry
Single mass spectrometry (MS) is used to analyze charged molecules to find the molecular
weight and amount of detected ions. Individual ions detected by MS can indicate the presence of
a target analyte.
Quadrupole-Based Single Mass Spectrometry
In a quadrupole-based single mass spectrometry (Q1 MS) scan, the system functions as a
traditional quadrupole mass spectrometer. In this mode, the system generates single mass
spectrometric information using the first quadrupole (Q1) section of the instrument.
Time-of-Flight Single Mass Spectrometry
In a time-of-flight single mass spectrometry (TOF MS) scan, the system generates mass
spectrometric information by pulsing ions into a flight tube and recording their precise arrival time
at the detector. Ions with a greater mass-to-charge ratio take longer to travel the flight tube.
Tandem Mass Spectrometry
The technique of MS/MS is well-suited to mixture analysis because the characteristic product ion
spectra can be obtained for each component in a mixture without interference from the other
components, assuming that the product ions have a unique m/z ratio.
Use MS/MS for targeted analysis by monitoring specific precursor/product ions while the sample
is eluting. This type of analysis is more specific than single MS, which only discriminates on the
basis of the mass-to-charge ratio.