PEGASUS BTX Series

Importance of Topic

Gas chromatography coupled with high speed time of flight detection enables exhaustive profiling of complex samples in fields ranging from environmental monitoring to pharmaceutical quality control It yields both targeted and untargeted data improving lab productivity and confidence in trace analysis

Objectives and Overview

This document presents an overview of the Pegasus BTX series instrument platform highlighting its design goals sensitivity speed and compatibility with advanced multidimensional chromatography workflows It aims to illustrate how the instrument advances detection limits data fidelity and lab efficiency

Methodology and Instrumentation

The Pegasus BTX platform employs electron ionization with a self cleaning direct extraction source delivering stable ion generation without periodic maintenance A time of flight mass analyzer with dual stage single reflectron provides fast high resolution spectra at up to 500 spectra per second with transient rates to 35000 per second

Used Instrumentation

• Pegasus BTX gas chromatograph time of flight mass spectrometer
• StayClean ion source with open style extraction
• Dual stage single reflectron TOF analyzer
• QuadJet LN2 and QuadJet cooled flow thermal modulators
• Paradigm flow modulator with flow splitter
• LECO L-PAL robotic autosampler with liquid headspace and SPME capabilities
• GL Sciences Optic thermal desorption and pyrolysis autosampler modules
• ChromaTOF data processing software with deconvolution quantitation and VB compliant database storage

Main Results and Discussion

The system covers a mass range from ten to fifteen hundred mass to charge ratio achieving resolution greater than one thousand one hundred at m z two one nine Experimental performance demonstrates detection limits below five femtograms for octafluoronaphthalene with relative standard deviation under five percent and linear dynamic range spanning five orders of magnitude Advanced deconvolution algorithms deliver clean spectra even in dense matrices while continuous full mass range acquisition ensures no data is missed

Benefits and Practical Applications

• Ultra trace detection with helium or hydrogen carrier gases for environmental or petrochemical analysis
• Full spectrum acquisition supports both targeted quantitation and untargeted screening in a single run
• Minimal maintenance via self cleaning ion source increases uptime for high throughput labs
• Compatibility with GCxGC delivers enhanced chromatographic resolution for complex mixture profiling
• Flexible autosampling supports solid liquid and gas samples enabling diverse application workflows
• Integrated software tools simplify data interpretation multivariate comparison and regulatory compliance

Future Trends and Applications

Integration of artificial intelligence driven deconvolution and predictive analytics will further streamline data processing Automation in sample introduction and modulator control is expected to enhance throughput while new detector materials and faster electronics will push detection limits lower Continued development of multimodal separation techniques will expand applicability to emerging fields such as metabolomics for precision medicine and comprehensive environmental monitoring

Conclusion

The Pegasus BTX series embodies a robust end to end solution for advanced gas chromatograph time of flight mass spectrometry delivering unmatched sensitivity speed and reliability in both one and two dimensional separations Its modular design comprehensive software suite and low maintenance operation make it a versatile platform for diverse analytical challenges

References

LECO Corporation Pegasus BTX series product documentation Rev April twenty twenty four