High-Resolution GC-MS System with EI and CI Ion Source Including Direct Inlet Probe

• Subject Area: Biological Chemistry and Food Chemistry
• Term: Funded in 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 439533235

The development of synthetic methods, the isolation and characterization of volatile natural products and biosynthetic intermediates and the total synthesis of natural products is an important part of research at the Faculty of Life Sciences at TU Braunschweig. Accordingly, it is of utmost importance to replace the GC-HRMS system that is currently in use in the Central Section of Mass Spectrometry of the Chemical Institutes of TU Braunschweig, by a more modern and more powerful instrument.Regarding its performance (especially in terms of resolution and mass accuracy) the current system is no longer sufficient to meet the requirements in research performed at the chemical institutes, but also in pharmacy and biology. Already now – due to its age – the operational availability is severely limited. It will further decrease in future because spare parts will not be available any longer.The proposed GC-HRMS system should be equipped with an EI and a CI ion source. These methods will allow for the analysis of volatile and semi-volatile compounds that are often found as minor components in complex (biological) mixtures. Furthermore, it should be equipped with a direct inlet probe. Despite the relatively small quantity of samples such an accessory is crucial for some of the users. The presently available instrument for this type of measurements is outdated and needs to be shut down in due course. The new system must support significantly better mass accuracies in concert with appropriate resolution because the main focus of all the applications (in synthetic chemistry, but also in biology) will be the determination of empirical formulas of unknown compounds in complex matrices based on accurate masses.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: Hochauflösendes GC-MS-System mit EI- und CI-Ionenquelle sowie Direkteinlass-System
• Instrumentation Group: 1700 Massenspektrometer
• Applicant Institution: Technische Universität Braunschweig
• Leaders: Professor Dr. Thomas Lindel, from 9/2022 until 4/2024; Dr. Uli Papke, since 4/2024