Mass Spectrometry

The Georgia Institute of Technology Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry Facility provides molecular mass analysis to researchers across campus as well as to other academic and industrial institutions both state and nationwide. The Facility is located in the basement of the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences (IBB) and was established in January 2003. It currently houses six mass spectrometers, three of which are recently acquired, state-of-the-art, tandem mass spectrometers. These research grade instruments are the ABI 4000 QTrap, ABI 4700 Proteomics Analyzer, and ABI QSTAR-XL. Routine service analyses are performed on the Micromass Quattro LC, Micromass TofSpec 2E, and VG-70SE. Collectively these instruments provide a unique and complementary mass spectrometry capability to investigators at Georgia Tech with regard to identification, structure elucidation, and quantitation of widely different molecular species. A more complete description of each instrument's capabilities is as follows:

Applied Biosystems 4000 QTrap
Installed 2004

The 4000 QTrap is a hybrid quadrupole / linear ion trap tandem mass spectrometer. It is interfaced with Shimadzu HPLC pumps and Perkin Elmer autosampler in addition to both electrospray ionization (ESI) and nano ESI sources. These can be used with analytical to nano-scale chromatography for the separation and analysis of complex biological mixtures with high sensitivity in difficult matrices. This instrument is capable of performing as a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer utilizing product, precursor, or neutral loss scans for structure elucidation or in conjunction with liquid chromatography (LC) and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) analysis for quantitation. Additionally, the instrument may be used as an ion trap mass spectrometer where enhanced resolution, product ion scans, or MS/MS/MS (MS3) functions may be used to determine charge state, or molecular connectivity relationships, respectively.

Applied Biosystems 4700 Proteomics Analyzer - Installed 2003

The 4700 is a tandem time-of-flight (TOF/TOF) mass spectrometer that generates ions via matrix assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) with a 200Hz laser. This rapid laser fire rate enables a 10-fold increase in sample throughput in data collection vs. other MALDI instruments. This instrument is equipped with both linear and reflecting detectors. The former is used for large molecular mass species (> 10 kDa) with low resolution, and the latter is used for high resolution (>10,000 FWHM), accurate mass measurement (< 50 ppm) of lower molecular mass species (< 10 kDa). The ABI 4700 is a true tandem mass spectrometer whereby MS/MS is performed via timed precursor ion selection with subsequent dissociation by either metastable or high-energy collision induced dissociation (CID). The facility has an additional stand alone capillary/nano LC system including pumps, autosampler, as well as microswitching and fractioning devices. This station allows automated multidimensional chromatography enabling separation and analysis of complex mixtures of different compounds. Moreover, the effluent from the nanoLC may be mixed with MALDI matrix and robotically spotted directly onto MALDI plates for LC-MALDI analysis with very high sensitivity (~fmol).

Applied Biosystems QSTAR-XL
Installed 2003

The QSTAR is a hybrid quadrupole / time-of-flight (Q-TOF) tandem mass spectrometer. This instrument generates ions via ESI and also has both static and dynamic nanospray ion sources for generation of intact molecular ions directly from solution with very high sensitivity (~fmol). Capillary LC pumps, autosampler, and microswitching devices are also interfaced with the QSTAR. These can be used with micro-, capillary-, or nano-bore chromatography columns enabling analysis of complex mixtures. The QSTAR also has an oMALDI II source for complementary formation of molecular ions. Both MS and MS/MS data are acquired with high resolution (> 7000 FWHM) and accurate mass measurement (< 10 ppm) for unequivocal molecular identification and structure elucidation. MS/MS on this instrument is performed via low energy CID analogous to that of a triple quadrupole.

Micromass Quattro LC - Installed 1999

The Quattro LC is a low resolution, moderate mass accuracy triple quadrupole (QQQ) tandem mass spectrometer capable of ionization via ESI and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI). This instrument is capable of analyzing a wide variety of polar biological molecules via single stage MS. It also is able to perform MS/MS utilizing product, precursor, or neutral loss scans for structure elucidation or in conjunction with LC and MRM analysis for quantitation. To this end it is interfaced with an Agilent 1100 binary HPLC system for online separation of complex mixtures with subsequent MS or MS/MS analysis at flow rates ranging from ul min-1 to mL min-1.

Micromass TofSpec2E - Installed 1999

The TOF Spec 2E is a low-resolution, moderate mass accuracy, linear only, MALDI TOF mass spectrometer, and is used primarily for high mass analysis of proteins, DNA, and complex carbohydrates from 1 kDa up to several hundred kDa.

VG Instruments 70SE - Installed 1986

The VG-70SE is a forward geometry (EB, where E = electric sector and B = magnetic sector), two sector mass spectrometer capable of high resolution (~ 50,000 at 10% valley) and accurate mass measurement (< 5 ppm) analyses. It is equipped with a dedicated GC and is capable of ionization via electron impact (EI) and chemical ionization (CI) for analysis of low molecular mass (< 700 Da), non-polar, volatile molecules. It also has a fast atom bombardment (FAB) source for ionization of much larger (< 5,000 Da) polar, non-volatile molecules such as small peptides and complex carbohydrates.

Contact Information

M. Cameron Sullards, Ph.D.
Director, Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry Facility
School of Chemistry and Biochemistry and School of Biology
Georgia Institute of Technology
315 Ferst Dr., 0501 IBB
Atlanta, GA 30332-0363
Office: 404-385-4249
FAX: 404-894-4061
E-mail Cameron Sullards

David Bostwick
Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry Facility
School of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Georgia Institute of Technology
315 Ferst Drive
Atlanta. GA 30332-0363
Phone: 404-385-4250
FAX: 404-894-4061
E-mail David Bostwick

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