Bruker released the Scion TQ triple-quadrupole and Scion SQ single-quadrupole mass spectrometers for gas chromatography (GC) detection at the 2011 Florida Pesticide Residue Workshop.
These systems are designed to enhance data quality and productivity for analysts working in routine testing and applied markets.
The Scion GC-MS platform is suitable for use by the food safety and environmental monitoring communities.
The Scion series features ion lens-free technology, which makes these systems easy to use, regardless of the level of mass spectrometry experience of the operator.
The series is also said to be more sensitive and robust than previous GC-MS instruments and comes in a compact benchspace-saving footprint that is smaller than for conventional GC triple-quadrupole MS systems.
The advanced axial source design, combined with the lens-free ion path, enhances the overall robustness of the Scion series, according to the company.
The Scion TQ also incorporates a 180deg collision cell design for a smaller instrument footprint - important in emerging markets and for anyone choosing to upgrade their GC-MS technology.
Further enhancing the performance of the Scion TQ is Bruker's Compound Based Scanning (CBS) technology.
Suitable for the automation and optimisation of quantitative analytical methods, CBS allows users to achieve high levels of sensitivity and quantitative precision while reducing method development and instrument setup time.
By selecting the compounds from the compound library to add to the method editor, the CBS technology and software automatically sets up optimised MRM transmissions and calculates the optimum cycle time.
The Scion SQ has been designed for extensive routine usage and shares much of the design of the Scion TQ.
This includes a plug-and-play source for simple maintenance or conversion from EI to CI operation.
The new axial flow source is designed to improve system performance and to lengthen the time between maintenance, even when handling challenging matrices.
Both Scion systems feature an auto-focusing q0 ion optic element that uses helium molecules to enhance transmission into the first resolving quadrupole and a high-capacity turbomolecular pump to enable users to field upgrade to CI capability.
A further benefit of the Scion series is the fast pump-down time, which increases productivity and reduces downtime.
Multi-axis chemical noise-cancelling design techniques, such as the 90deg heated curved q0, the 180deg collision cell and orthogonal integrated detectors, result in virtually zero neutral noise and ultra-sensitive detection limits.
