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Mass Spectrometry and Metabolomics Core
The Mass Spectrometry and Metabolomics Core is an open access resource where researchers and facility staff perform small molecule, macromolecule, and metabolomic analyses using 9 (soon to be 11) mass spectrometers. The Core is normally located in 3400 sq. ft. of laboratory space in the basement of the Biochemistry Building (Rooms 7, 11, and 13), but is temporarily relocated to Room 116 Biochemistry until renovations are completed in 2023. Core staff provide training in experiment design, theory and operation of instruments, method development, and data interpretation. Trained instrument users enjoy 24/7 open access for instrument use, scheduled within safe social distancing guidelines for the building, and hourly or per-sample fees are charged based on the instrument. The facility houses one GC/MS (Agilent 5975) and one triple quadrupole GC/MS/MS instrument (Agilent 7010B equipped with CTC PAL autosampler capabilities for headspace analysis and a Chromtech TDAS 2000 system for thermal desorption analysis), four triple quadrupole LC/MS/MS systems (Waters Xevo TQ-XS, Xevo TQ-S micro, Xevo TQ-S, and Acquity TQ-D), one Thermo Q-Exactive LC/MS/MS, and two Waters Xevo G2-XS QTof LC/MS/MS systems. The Core recently ordered a LECO Pegasus GC-HRT+ high resolution GC/MS instrument, a Bruker UltrafleXtreme MALDI-TOF/TOF with imaging capabilities, and a Teledyne AtomX XYZ purge-and-trap accessory that will be integrated with one of the GC/MS systems. A Waters eλ photodiode array detector is configured on one of the QTof LC/MS/MS instruments. All mass spectrometers are equipped with autosamplers, and all of the LC/MS instruments are interfaced to UHPLC pumps. Untargeted processing of LC/MS data is achieved using Waters Progenesis QI and Thermo CompoundDiscoverer software, and Agilent Profiler and MassProfiler Professional (MPP) software is used for untargeted analysis of GC/MS data. Data files are archived nightly to a 50 TB RAID 6 NAS archive.
Equipment
LC/MS/MS (tandem quadrupole)
- Waters TQ-D UPLC/MS/MS
- Waters Xevo TQ-S UPLC/MS/MS
- Waters Xevo TQ-XS UPLC/MS/MS
- Waters Xevo TQ-S Micro UPLC/MS/MS
LC/MS/MS (High Mass Resolution Systems)
- Quadrupole/Time-of-Flight systems
- Waters Xevo G2-XS UPLC/MS/MS (2 instruments)
- Quadrupole/Orbitrap system
- Thermo Q-Exactive UPLC/MS/MS
GC/MS
- Agilent 5975 GC/single quadrupole MS
- Agilent 7010 GC/triple quadrupole MS/MS
Submission
The Core is, if time allows, accessible to academic investigators from any institution. Samples will be accepted provided they are appropriate for current Core capabilities. Access is also granted to occasional industrial clients on a time-available basis. Prior to sending samples, investigators are recommended to contact the Core staff to discuss the required analysis. This is necessary to insure that the most efficient and cost-effective analytical methods are employed. Samples are normally analyzed in the order of their receipt, but special arrangements can be made for unstable samples. A sample submission form should accompany each set of samples. The information requested on this form should be filled out completely to assure that the analyses can be carried out properly. Missing information from the form (e.g., sample solubility, stability, molecular formula, if known) will result in delays in the requested analyses.