Comprehensive GC-MS (Agilent SQMS with MassHunter)

What will you learn on this course?

The five-day Comprehensive GC-MS introduces the fundamental theory of single quadrupole GC-MS along with the operation, maintenance and troubleshooting of the Agilent single quadrupole Mass Spectrometer using MassHunter software.

This course includes an introduction to quadrupole mass spectrometry, method development and troubleshooting; hardware configuration; MS tuning; data acquisition in scan and selected ion monitoring (SIM) modes; qualitative & quantitative data analysis; reports; sequencing; Retention Time Locking (RTL); an introduction to deconvolution; and method maintenance.

The course will train the operator to perform the maintenance required to ensure the smooth running of the instrument. The course also discusses the principles of troubleshooting by examining the effects of faults in the system on the chromatographic output. This course includes troubleshooting and maintenance focusing on tunes & diagnostics, GC considerations, vacuum system, ion source, quadrupole mass filter and MS detector.

It combines a mixture of classroom based presentations with hands-on hardware and software lab exercises, to give you comprehensive training.

Learning outcomes:

• You will learn the theory & principles of mass spectrometry focusing on the single quadrupole GC-MS

• You will become familiar with the Agilent single quadrupole Mass Spectrometer instrumentation learning about the function & operation of individual components

• You will gain knowledge of the important MS parameters

• You will gain practical experience of performing the maintenance of each MS component including vacuum system, ion source, quadrupole mass filter & detector

• You will learn the strategies and gain practical experience of instrument troubleshooting

• You will learn the operation of the MassHunter software

• You will learn installation, set-up and get an overview of the software

• You will learn about the types of tuning methods, undertake air/water checks & an autotune then interpret the results

• You will learn how to create full scan and SIM methods to gain an understanding of each method type

• You will learn how to analyse individual samples and create sequences for analysing multiple samples

• You will undertake qualitative data analysis including library searching and deconvolution

• You will undertake quantitative data analysis creating calibration curves and producing appropriate sample reports

• You will have an introduction to deconvolution and learn retention time locking