title: A microelectromechanical systems-enabled, miniature triple quadrupole mass spectrometer.
abstract: Miniaturized mass spectrometers are becoming increasingly capable, enabling the development of many novel field and laboratory applications. However, to date, triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometers, the workhorses of quantitative analysis, have not been significantly reduced in size. Here, the basis of a field-deployable triple quadrupole is described. The key development is a highly miniaturized ion optical assembly in which a sequence of six microengineered components is employed to generate ions at atmospheric pressure, provide a vacuum interface, effect ion guiding, and perform fragmentation and mass analysis. Despite its small dimensions, the collision cell efficiently fragments precursor ions and yields product ion spectra that are very similar to those recorded using conventional instruments. The miniature triple quadrupole has been used to detect thiabendazole, a common pesticide, in apples at a level of 10 ng/g.
authors.affiliation: †Microsaic Systems plc, Woking, Surrey GU21 5BX, U.K.
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.affiliation: †Microsaic Systems plc, Woking, Surrey GU21 5BX, U.K.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Malcolm
authors.affiliation: †Microsaic Systems plc, Woking, Surrey GU21 5BX, U.K.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.affiliation: †Microsaic Systems plc, Woking, Surrey GU21 5BX, U.K.
authors.forename: Shane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: O'Prey
authors.affiliation: †Microsaic Systems plc, Woking, Surrey GU21 5BX, U.K.
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Crichton
authors.affiliation: †Microsaic Systems plc, Woking, Surrey GU21 5BX, U.K.
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dash
authors.affiliation: †Microsaic Systems plc, Woking, Surrey GU21 5BX, U.K.
authors.forename: Richard W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Moseley
authors.affiliation: †Microsaic Systems plc, Woking, Surrey GU21 5BX, U.K.
authors.forename: Wojciech
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zaczek
authors.affiliation: †Microsaic Systems plc, Woking, Surrey GU21 5BX, U.K.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.affiliation: ‡Food and Environment Research Agency, Sand Hutton, York YO41 1LZ, U.K.
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Fussell
authors.affiliation: §Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Imperial College, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
authors.forename: Richard R A
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Syms