LC-MS/MS Principles, Tips & Tricks (LAPTOP REQUIRED)

Since the introduction of electrospray ionization (ESI) in the early 1990s, mass spectrometers have found their way into the analytical lab as a robust detector for high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The technique known as LC-MS describes an HPLC with a mass spectrometer as the detector and techniques that use tandem mass spectrometry are known as LC-MS/MS. Both LC-MS and LC-MS/MS can provide qualitative information by separating analyte with HPLC and provide mass information from the MS detector with LC-MS/MS provided superior sensitivity. Participants will gain an understanding of the fundamentals of LC-MS, including the theory, instrument components, method development and data analysis. Basic operation and theory of HPLC components such as pumps, autosamplers, UV detectors will be covered in this course. Mass spectrometry parameter optimization and a selection of “tips and tricks” will also be covered. HPLC column theory and selection will be discussed. Various types of mass spectrometers will be introduced, but the course will focus on quadrupole analyzers and triple quadrupole mass analyzers, emphasizing pharmaceutical and environmental quantitative analysis.