Mass Spectrometry (Catania)

Two mass spectrometers are operating at the IC spectrometry laboratory in Catania:

High-Resolution ESI-MS Spectrometer, Thermo Q-Exactive Orbitrap

The Thermo Fischer Q-Exactive hybrid quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometer combines quadrupole precursor ion selection and detection via an accurate, high-resolution mass system (Orbitrap), interfaced with an electrospray ionization (ESI) source. The system can be connected to a Dionex UltiMate 3000 UHPLC equipped with an autosampler, enabling the analysis of a large number of samples in a short time. Both capillary and nano columns can be used for low analyte concentrations. The features of the Q-Exactive instrument enable the identification and characterization of a wide spectrum of compounds, ranging from small molecules to large polymers, achieving accuracy (nanomolar), sensitivity, and resolution suitable for many applications.

MALDI TOF/TOF 5800 AB SCIEX Mass Spectrometer

The AB SCIEX 5800 MALDI is a mass spectrometer equipped with a TOF/Reflectron analyzer. The instrument provides excellent results in protein identification for single-spot analysis. The MALDI source allows for sample analysis even when mixed with salts and enables very rapid acquisition. A 1000Hz variable-speed laser increases the speed of each acquisition by collecting more points per unit of time. The instrument is equipped with a TOF/Reflectron mass analyzer. The TOF analyzer ensures ultra-sensitive analysis, while the Reflectron mode enables high-resolution analysis. The extended mass range linear detector offers good sensitivity up to m/z 300,000. These acquisition features provide high-quality MS/MS data with minimized sample consumption (ng).