LC-MS-QTOF-System

• Subject Area: Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine
• Term: Funded in 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 432736281

Several departments of the faculty VI „Regional and Environmental Sciences“ of the University Trier apply for a system for high-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS-QTOF). The system will (i) replace an older liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry-system (in use since 2006) and (ii) provide new options for more selective and sensitive analytics, which especially enables screening analysis of complex mixtures of substances of anthropogenic as well as natural origin. The need for such analytics is justified by on-going and planned projects. Being the only analytical system of this kind at the University Trier it makes a powerful enrichment for the analytical equipment and will be cooperatively used within the group of departments and laboratory cluster, respectively, as is the case with the existing equipment. Environmental analysis using mass spectrometry is done in research and education since many years in the department of Soil Science (applicant) as well as in the co-applying departments and further departments of the faculty VI. The aforementioned liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry-system provided very good analytical options at date of purchase that substantially fostered the acquisition of various funded projects. Due to its service life, the system is no more reliable; downtimes and repair times increased to an extent that conflicts with routine operation and use in time-limited projects.Therefore, we apply for a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-system that is capable for high-resolution determination of unknown compounds and can also be used for routine detection and quantification of known compounds („non-target“ and „target“ analysis). This proposal is, thus, aimed not only for a replacement purchase but at the same time combined with a significant innovation, offering new analytical options. This is especially justified by the high-resolution analysis that is recently not possible and allows to simultaneously detect and identify (at least by the sum formula) large numbers of compounds. This enables to realize innovative studies on substance identification: Determination and identification of compound mixtures, identification of metabolites and degradation pathways, high-resolution non-target analysis. The substantially higher sensitivity allows to reach limits of detection that are by magnitudes lower compared to the existing system. This will be achieved in particular in complex matrices that are especially relevant in environmental sciences (e.g., extracts of plants and animal tissues, souls and sediments, waste water, sludge and wastes). The much broader mass range offers new application options, perspectively up to the analysis of proteins (Proteomics). The required efforts for operation and maintenance as well as the expected running costs correspond to the performance framework of the applying departments.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: LC-MS-QTOF-System
• Instrumentation Group: 1700 Massenspektrometer
• Applicant Institution: Universität Trier
• Leader: Professor Dr. Sören Thiele-Bruhn