Liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry: triple quadrupole (QqQ) or quadrupole-time of flight (QTOF) detection for environmental applications?
Couplage de la chromatographie en phase liquide avec la spectrométrie de masse en tadem : quel type de détecteur (triple quadrupole ou quadrupole-temps de vol) pour les applications environnementales ?
Résumé
A comparative study has been carried out on two recent UPLC-MSMS by Irstea in collaboration with Waters. The performances of mass spectrometers Xevo TQ-S and Xevo G2 QTof coupled to ultra high performance liquid chromatography have been evaluated for the quantification of a selection of organic contaminants (pesticides, betablockers and estrogenic hormones) at realistic concentration levels in complex environmental matrices (sewage sludge, suspended particles). Sensitivity has been compared on the two systems. The triple quadrupole system leads to lower quantification limits. Matrix effects were observed with sludge samples on the two systems. The ability to quantify organic contaminants present in complex environmental matrices has also been tested and confirmed. With an hybrid system the confirmation of targeted compounds in such complex matrices is definitely easier and more certain than with a triple quadrupole MS.