Separation and Mass Spectrometry

The Department of Chemistry hosts and co-hosts a broad collection of mass spectrometers with varying capabilities, supporting research in chemical and environmental analysis, metabolomics, pharmaceuticals, synthesis control, and materials science. Rather than being centralized in a single location, the instruments are integrated into three complementary platforms:

• High-resolution mass spectrometry – MassSlab [link]
Mass spectrometry within Circulab [link]
• Low-resolution, high-throughput analysis – MACAL (Separation/MS unit) [link]

 

The following examples show a small selection of possible sample matrices and analytes. They are intended to provide a flavor of the kind of measurements that can be performed on the facility’s instruments.

Example of samples

  • Industrial and residential wastewater
  • Biota
  • Textiles and plastic
  • Food
  • Synthesized chemicals

Example of analytes

  • Environmental pollutants
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Additives
  • Natural compounds
  • Metabolites

Example of information that can be deducted

  • Qualitative identification, non-targeted and targeted
  • Quantification, targeted
  • Structural characterization, e.g. protein and polymer folding, assembly of (supra) molecular complexes

Liquid chromatography (LC)

  • reversed phase
  • normal phase
  • HILIC

Gas chromatography (GC)

  • Electrospray ionization (ESI)
  • Nano-electrospray ionization (nano-ESI)
  • Atmospheric pressure chemical ionsization (APCI)
  • Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI)
  • Electron impact ionization (EI)
  • Negative chemical ionization (NCI)

  • Triple Quadrupole mass spectrometer
  • Orbitrap mass spectrometer
  • Quadrupole Time-of-Flight mass spectrometer coupled to an Ion Mobility spectrometer
  • Linear Ion Trap mass spectrometer

 

Available systems

Please find our available systems below

  • Dionex UltiMate 3000 UHPLC coupled to Q-Exactive Quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometer
  • Ionization using ESI or APCI

  • Waters Aquity UPLC or MALDI coupled to a Waters Synapt G2-S Quadrupole-Time-of-Flight (QTOF) mass spectrometer coupled to a traveling wave Ion Mobility spectrometer
  • Ionization using ESI or nano-ESI or MALDI

  • Waters Aquity UPLC coupled to a Waters XEVO TQ-S triple quadrupole mass spectrometer
  • Ionization using ESI

  • Thermo Accela 1250 HPLC coupled to a Thermo Vantage TSQ triple quadrupole mass spectrometer
  • Ionization using ESI

  • Shimadzu LC-2040C 3D HPLC coupled to a Finnigan LTQ Linear Ion Trap mass spectrometer
  • Ionization using ESI

  •  Varian 450 GC coupled to a Varian 320 Triple Quadrupole mass spectrometer
  •  Ionization using EI or NCI

  • Bruker hexapoleTOF, ESI and APCI

  • Shimadzu QP2020 GC-MS-FID, EI

  • Agilent LCMS-DAD G6135B MSD, ESI and APCI

Contact person

Last updated: 2026-01-22

Source: Department of Chemistry

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