The Mass Spectrometry-Special Techniques Service, located in Mass Pavilion, is composed by a large number of mass spectrometers hyphenated to gas and liquid chromatographs. It is devoted to trace organic analysis in all sort of samples, namely environmental matrices and foodstuffs. These instruments are very powerful and allow the analysis of pure compounds, and also complex mixtures.

In GC-MS, we analyze volatile and semi-volatile compounds. The service encompasses priority pollutants (as pesticides, aromatic hydrocarbons PAHs, polychlorinated biphenyls PCBs, phthalates, and brominated flame retardants PBDEs), and also emergent ones (pharmaceuticals, bisphenol).

In LC-MS, we analyze non-volatile and polar compounds. The service encompasses priority pollutants (as pesticides), and also emergent ones (abuse drugs, pharmaceuticals, biocides).

The service is divided in three laboratories:

1 GC-MS Laboratory, including 7 instruments with different provisions

– Instruments with electronic impact and/or chemical ionization sources;
– Instruments with different analyzers: single quadrupole, triple quadrupole, time-of-flight of quick scanning, quadrupole –orbitrap.

2 LC-MS Laboratories, including 6 instruments with different provisions

– Instruments with electrospray, atmospheric pressure chemical ionization and/or atmospheric pressure photoionization probes;
– Instruments with different analyzers: triple quadrupole, quadrupole- lineal ion trap, quadrupole – orbitrap, quadrupole-time of flight.

The service operates as self-service. Users are in charge of doing sample preparation, creating acquisition methods and sequences, and data processing.

There are 2 people assigned to this service, doing maintenance, calibration, tuning tasks and also troubleshooting resolution of instruments. Both have more than 10 years of experience managing this type of scientific instruments.