October 2010

A new LTQ Orbitrap mass spectrometer has been installed in the Nanoanalysis laboratory for use with ambient ionisation sources including DESI, PADI and MALDI.

The orbitrap design gives a fantastic mass resolution of over 100,000 with a mass accuracy of < 1 ppm, and will enable more accurate characterisation of amino acids, peptides, proteins, drug molecules, explosives and polymers, directly from everyday surfaces such as fabrics, plants, tissue and blood. For more information on the ambient mass spectrometry research at NPL, click here.