Cal State LA and LECO enhance complex chemical analysis with new Pegasus BTX system

Cal State LA has completed a major instrumentation upgrade in its LECO Complex Chemical Compositional Analysis Lab, further advancing the university’s partnership with LECO Corporation and expanding opportunities for student research and training in analytical chemistry. The upgrade replaces the lab’s earlier-generation time-of-flight mass spectrometer with LECO’s newest model, the Pegasus® BTX, a benchtop detector designed for comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC) applications. The new system enhances analytical sensitivity, uptime, and throughput for complex chemical studies.

Cal State LA: The LECO Pegasus BTX system in Cal State LA’s LECO Complex Chemical Compositional Analysis Lab enhances research and student training in advanced chemical analysis.

The upgrade continues a collaboration that began with the launch of the LECO Complex Chemical Compositional Analysis Lab in 2023. Located in Rosser Hall, the lab serves as a hub for students, faculty, and industry partners to conduct advanced compositional studies of complex chemical samples.

The impact of the Pegasus BTX at Cal State LA

The Pegasus BTX is LECO’s latest benchtop time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS) detector engineered for both GC and GC×GC applications. 

Key capabilities include:

• full-mass-range data collection (even during targeted analyses)
• advanced deconvolution for cleaner spectra in dense matrices
• and the StayClean® ion source that is designed to require no source cleaning, even after heavy-matrix exposure. 

The system offers femtogram-level detection with helium or hydrogen carrier gas, up to 500 spectra/second, a 10–1500 m/z mass range, and five orders of linear dynamic range, all orchestrated by ChromaTOF® software.

These capabilities will support Cal State LA’s research and teaching in areas such as environmental analysis, petrochemicals, life sciences, pharmaceuticals, and food safety, broadening opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to work hands-on with state-of-the-art GC×GC-TOFMS.

“This upgrade accelerates our ability to separate, detect, and identify thousands of compounds in complex samples while training students on industry-relevant workflows,” said Dr. Petr Vozka, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Cal State LA.

“We’re excited to support Cal State LA’s mission to prepare the next generation of analytical scientists,” said Farai Rukunda, Director of Separation science at LECO Corporation. “The Pegasus BTX gives students access to the same technology they’ll use in professional laboratories.”

A growing collaboration

The LECO Complex Chemical Compositional Analysis Lab, established in 2023 and housed in Rosser Hall, was created as a hub for students, faculty, and industry partners to conduct advanced compositional studies of complex chemical samples. The lab represents a continued collaboration between Cal State LA and LECO Corporation to advance chemical education and innovation in the Los Angeles region.

About LECO Corporation

LECO develops analytical instruments and software solutions spanning mass spectrometry, elemental analysis, and more. The Pegasus BTX represents the company’s newest evolution in GC-TOFMS technology for GC and GC×GC applications. LECO Corporation

Cal State LA: A Cal State LA student conducts analysis using the LECO Pegasus BTX system in the LECO Complex Chemical Compositional Analysis Lab.

California State University, Los Angeles is the premier comprehensive public university in the heart of Los Angeles. Cal State LA is ranked number one in the United States for the upward mobility of its students. The university is dedicated to engagement, service, and the public good, offering nationally recognized programs in science, the arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education, and the humanities. Founded in 1947, Cal State LA serves more than 22,000 students and has more than 270,000 distinguished alumni.