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ACD/Labs Blog

Joel Michalski
The technological development of LC-MS instrumentation has led to significant improvements of performance and sensitivity, enabling high-throughput analysis of complex samples, such as plant extracts. Most software suites allow preprocessing of LC-MS chromatograms to obtain comprehensive information on single constituents. However, more advanced processing needs, such as the systematic and unbiased comparative metabolite profiling of...

Arvin Moser
The warning flag for this puzzle is evident in the intensities of the signals. For an unknown compound, the TOF-ESI+ mass spectrum below shows the expanded region around four isotope clusters at m/z 300.336 ([M+H]+), 322.307 ([M+Na]+), 599.672 ([2M+H]+) and 621.611 ([2M+Na]+). The intensities of the 13C isotopes (i.e. the [M+1] signal) vary between 40...

Arvin Moser
A key element in data interpretation is to identify any warning flags. Warning flags can help a chemist differentiate good data from bad data. For an unknown compound, the TOF-ESI+ mass spectrum below shows the expanded region around four isotope clusters at m/z 300.336 ([M+H]+), 322.307 ([M+Na]+), 599.672 ([2M+H]+) and 621.611 ([2M+Na]+). Are the intensities...

Arvin Moser
Many analytical data rely on common calculations. This puzzle covers one such common calculation. NMR and MS data were collected on two unknown compounds. The TOF-MS data shows the [M+H]+ at m/z 300.0000 and 600.000 at an error of 0.001 Da. The 500 MHz 1H NMR spectrum shows two chemical shifts at 1500.00 and 3000.00...

Arvin Moser
On the surface, both good data and poor data offer information about an unknown compound. The challenge is to differentiate between what is good data and what is poor data. The purpose of this puzzle is to examine some poor data. From an LC-MS+ TOF dataset, an unknown compound elutes at 2.86 minutes and spans...

Sherry Myles
Increasing importation of food and the diversity of potential contaminants have necessitated more analytical testing of these foods. Historically, mass spectrometric methods for testing foods were confined to monitoring selected ions (SIM or MRM), achieving sensitivity by focusing on targeted ion signals. A limiting factor in this approach is that any contaminants not included on...

Arvin Moser
To identify co-eluting components on a chromatogram, one searches for any distinct differences between the components. There are basically three criteria to check the XICs (extracted ion chromatograms) for to confirm whether the m/z signals pertain to the same component: line shape, signal apex and retention time range. The XICs for m/z 188.1 and 205.1...