Open Probe Fast GC-MS – Real Time Analysis with Separation and Its Forensic Applications

Open Probe Fast GC-MS is based on a heated thermal desorption oven mounted on a low thermal mass ultra-fast GC that is open to room air with helium flow purge protection to prevent air penetration while enabling easy sample introduction.
Its operation is as simple as: touch the sample, insert it and get GC-MS data in 30 s.
Open Probe Fast GC-MS is superior to the various ambient desorption/ionization techniques in view of its following unique features:
a) It combines real time analysis with ultra-fast separation for highly improved mixtures analysis.
b) It enables unambiguous compounds identification with the NIST library with structures and names including at the isomer level.
c) It provides relatively uniform response for superior non-target compounds internal quantitation, including for non-polar compounds & without ion suppression effects.
d) It uses in-vacuum EI ion source hence low-cost quadrupole MS of GC-MS.
Agilent introduced our Open Probe Fast GC-MS under the name QuickProbe.
Several forensic applications of Open Probe Fast GC-MS were explored including:
A) Cannabis usage analysis in saliva using MS with Cold EI. Saliva can be collected in the field and transported to the lab for analyses “as is” without any sample preparation.
B) Cannabis flowers, leaves and products were analyzed for their relative content of CBD and Delta 9-THC isomers.
C) Explosive powders were analyzed such as TATP and trace levels TNT.
D) Inorganic explosives such as ammonium nitrate and urea nitrate were analyzed via the detection of ammonium and or nitric acid products that were formed at the open probe.
E) Various drugs were analyzed including heroin in its street drug mixture and fentanyl.