New Ion Source Dramatically Increases GC-MS/MS Sensitivity  

Shimadzu has released a new ion source for their premier GCMS-TQ8050 NX triple quad system.

The BEIS (Boosted Efficiency Ion Source) maximises ionisation efficiency through optimising the focal point of the electron beam in EI ionisation. As a result, the rate at which electrons collide with the molecule is significantly increased, even with the same number of electrons being produced at the filament. The ionisation rate increases accordingly, enabling higher sensitivity. This new ion source design delivers up to 4x greater sensitivity than the standard source, allowing reliable analyses of low concentrations that have been, until now, unreachable by quadrupole GCMS systems. The GCMS-TQ8050 NX with BEIS now boasts an IDL of 0.14 fg.

The new ion source helps customers meet the highly-demanding regulations for dioxins in foodstuffs. Until now, analysis of dioxins has been carried out using expensive GC-HRMS (double-focusing GC-MS). However, with the increase in GC-MS/MS capabilities, the EU has issued regulations (EU589/2014 and 644/2017) which grant analysis methods using GC-MS/MS the same status in compliance regulations as methods using GC-HRMS. The BEIS therefore provides an optimal solution for those looking to move from GC-HRMS to GC-MS/MS for high-sensitivity analysis of dioxins in ultra-low concentrations.

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