Introducing the

Agilent 7000A QQQ-MS for GC

Sunil Kulkarni
Product Specialist
Agilent Technologies

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Agilent GC/MS Portfolio

Smallest footprint,
single GC column
5975VL with 6850GC

Industry leading GC/MS System

5975C with 7890GC

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Agilent GC/MS Portfolio

Smallest footprint,
single GC column
5975VL with 6850GC

Introducing
Industry leading GC/MS System
5975C with 7890GC

Page 3
Agilent GC/MS Portfolio

7000A GC/MS/MS
Power of MRM

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Agilent 7000A GC/MS/MS

7000A Width
36 cm/14 inches
Only 2 inches wider than the 5975C MSD

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GC/MS Triple Quad (QQQ)

Collision Gas (Ar, N2, He)

Carrier Gas (He, H2 )

Ion Source Detector

Quad 1 Quad 2 Quad 3
•Ionize Mass Analysis Collision Cell Mass Analysis

Elements of a typical triple quadrupole MS system

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Agilent 7000 GC/MS/MS

Collision Gas (N2 )

Ion Source Detector

Quad 1 Hexapole Quad 2
•Ionize Collision Cell

Q1 Post- Q2 Pre-
filter filter

The hexapole field has excellent transmission efficiency

for precursor and product ions

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What is MRM MS/MS?
Multiple Reaction Monitoring
EI: many ions from the source

isolate precursor
Q1 SIM ion

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What is MRM MS/MS?
Multiple Reaction Monitoring
EI: many ions from the source
EI-MS/MS

Product 2

Product 1
isolate precursor Product 3
Q1 SIM ion

CID + Q2 SIM

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Why MS/MS?
Lower detection limits by reducing noise
EI: many ions from the source
Product ion signal often decreases,
but the percentage decrease in noise
is much larger for real samples; S/N
and detection limits improve

Product 2

Product 1
isolate precursor Product 3
Q1 SIM before CID

chemical noise
CID + Product ion measured

eliminated
Q2 SIM against zero chemical
noise

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Why MS/MS?
Greater Selectivity Than SIM

EI-SIM
selectivity proportional to
spectral resolution
interference
no selectivity against ions
with same m/z
analyte

unit mass resolution

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Why MS/MS?
Greater Selectivity Than SIM

EI-MS/MS
EI-SIM Precursor selectivity same as SIM
selectivity proportional to High probability that at least one product
spectral resolution ion will be a unique dissociation product
interference
no selectivity against ions of the precursor BUT not the interference
with same m/z
analyte
Product 2

Product 1 interference
Product 3

unit mass resolution

Precursor
Ion

The precursor ion should NOT be used for ion

ratios or quantitation since the interferences will
be the same as the SIM ion

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Why a GC/MS/MS System?

Allows for the selective quantitation of target

compounds in high chemical background samples
Better S/N in complex matrices than can be achieved
by single quadrupole scan or SIM approaches.
Newer regulations in some markets specify analytical
power commensurate with GC/MS/MS

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Why GC/MS/MS?
A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words
GC/MS Single Quad SIM
100 fg HCB

MS SIM

GC/MS/MS QQQ MRM

EI 100fg HCB in “DIRTY”
Matrix
MS/MS MRM
A chromatographer’s
dream: single peak on
S/N: 116:1 RMS flat baseline

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Why GC/MS/MS?
A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words
GC/MS Single Quad SIM
100 fg HCB

MS SIM

GC/MS/MS QQQ MRM

EI 100fg HCB in “DIRTY”
Matrix
MS/MS MRM
A chromatographer’s
dream: single peak on
S/N: 116:1 RMS flat baseline

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Technology

Agilent took the best technologies from their

industry leading 597X Series GC/MSD:
– Heated monolithic gold plated quartz quadrupole
– Proven reliable high performance source design
– AUTOTUNE

and the 6410A LC/QQQ:

– Linear acceleration enhanced Collision Cell
– Wide Mass-Bandwidth QQQ ion optics
– Mass Hunter software

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Why Heated Quartz “Gold” Quads?

Unlike LC/MS, many high boiling neutral molecules enter

the source and manifold of a GC/MS or GC/MS/MS

• Higher temperature reduces potential for contamination

– 200C max
– Virtually eliminates the need to clean quads
• Low coefficient for thermal expansion for quartz
– Stable structure during maintenance cycles (hot-cool-hot) for source
or detector

More stable tunes and methods over a longer period of time

in real world sample environments

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GC/QQQ Analyzer
Two gold plated quartz,
hyperbolic analyzers
(same as 5975)

Inert, high
temp source
(same as 5975)

Triple-Axis
detector (same
as 5975)

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GC/QQQ Analyzer

Shown with shields for

analyzers and collision cell

New high performance,

hexapole collision cell
with patent technology

Edwards
Split Flow Turbo

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Analyzer Doors Open

Inert, 350ºC
Source

Triple-Axis
Detector

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Proven Inert Source Performance

Several thousands sources in current use

Stay-Clean design extends maintenance intervals with
dirty samples
Source tune parameters in the Autotune file
Dual filament design reduces maintenance intervals

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EI Source Details

Partition between source

and analyzer compartments

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High Performance Collision Cell Design

Linear acceleration design is optimized for high speed

performance without ion ghosting or cross-talk
MRM speed to 500 MRMs/sec allows determination of
more compounds per ion group
High sensitivity with wide mass bandwidth eliminates
the need to “tune on your compound” for optimum
sensitivity
“Helium Quenching” chemical noise reduction
increases S/N

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Collision Cell Details

(Cell housing and 2 rods removed for clarity)

Support
Quadrupole cradle Quadrupole
post-filter pre-filter

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High Performance Triple-Axis Detector

Ultra low neutrals noise

Long life and high linearity
“Gain Normalization” corrects tune file for detector aging to
allow repeatable long term method sensitivity
Same design as used in the 5975C GC/MSD

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Triple-Axis Detector

Offset
shield for
steering rod secondary Z
particles
hyperbolic quartz
transmission high energy
quadrupole dynode
analyzer

Y
triple channel
ion beam electron
multiplier
X

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Autotune

Proprietary program tunes the source, mass analyzer, and

detector for (as applicable):
• Ion transmission
• Mass axis calibration
• Mass resolution
• Detector gain vs Voltage
Autotune settings are saved with the method for repeatable
method performance.
Manual Tune override is available

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Agilent 7000A GC/MS/MS
OFN (octafluoronaphthalene) Sensitivity

100fg OFN
272:241 Transition
186:1 RMS S/N

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 One of the many
innovations that led to
this level of GC/MS/MS
sensitivity

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Collision Cell Gas Flows

1 ml/min N2 Collision Gas

Q1 Collision Cell Ions

He* +
Ions Out
In

He* + N2 → N2+. + He + e-
N2+. + A → A+. + N2

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Collision Cell Gas Flows

1 ml/min N2 Collision Gas

Q1 Collision Cell Ions

He* +
Ions Out
In

He Buffer Gas

He* + He → 2 He + heat
He* + N2 → N2+. + He + e-

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Effect of “Helium Quench”
tested with
hexachlorobenzene

S/N 341:1 Helium Quench Gas OFF

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Effect of “Helium Quench”

S/N 341:1 Helium Quench Gas OFF

Almost 4 X
Increase in S/N

S/N 1294:1 Helium Quench Gas ON

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Effect of “Helium Quench”
tested with
hexachlorobenzene

S/N 341:1 Helium Quench Gas OFF

Noise Comparison

S/N 1294:1 Helium Quench Gas ON

The increase in
S/N was due to
reduction of noise.

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MassHunter MS Workstation Software

Modern software interpretation of the proven industry standard

GC/MS Chemstation platform

Single software platform for all Agilent MS Systems

• LC/SQ , LC/QQQ, LC/TOF, LC/QTOF
• GC/SQ, GC/QQQ
• ICP/MS

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GC/MS/MS Software Modules

Acquisition

Analysis

Excel
Reporting

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MS/MS Acquisition Method Editor Dialog

Single window acquisition setup

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Agilent G7000A GC/QQQ

Outstanding sensitivity 100fg of OFN on column at 100:1 S/N RMS in MS/MS

mode using AUTOTUNE parameters verified at customer installation.
1050 amu Mass Range
500 MRM/sec Speed
Reliable heated monolithic gold plated hyperbolic quadrupoles
Differentially pumped vacuum system
New Helium seeded collision cell technology
Agilent 7890 GC with Capillary Flow technology.
MassHunter Software

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