Grant application resource: Using the Orbitrap Exploris GC 240 mass spectrometer to accelerate research

Significance of the Topic

The development of high resolution, accurate mass gas chromatography mass spectrometry enhances the ability to detect and quantify trace compounds in complex samples. This capability is critical in areas such as environmental monitoring, food safety, and pharmaceutical analysis, where confident identification of both known and unexpected analytes drives research and regulatory compliance.

Objectives and Study Overview

The white paper presents the key features and performance benefits of the Orbitrap Exploris GC 240 mass spectrometer. It aims to demonstrate how this instrument delivers unprecedented resolving power and sensitivity, enabling researchers to move seamlessly between targeted quantitation, untargeted screening, and structural elucidation workflows without compromise.

Methodology and Used Instrumentation

The instrument combines a hybrid quadrupole–Orbitrap analyzer with an integrated ExtractaBrite electron ionization and chemical ionization source. Key specifications include resolving power up to 240 000 at m/z 200, scan rates up to 40 Hz, mass accuracy below 1 ppm, and six orders of linear dynamic range. The NeverVent source design allows switching between EI and CI modes and rapid column exchanges without breaking vacuum.

Main Results and Discussion

• High resolving power dramatically improves selectivity. At 240 000 resolution, pesticides such as bifenthrin and chlorpropham are fully separated from coeluting matrix interferences, eliminating false negatives encountered at lower resolutions.
• Mass accuracy remains consistently sub-ppm across all resolution settings, facilitating narrow mass extraction windows for precise compound assignment.
• Unlike other high resolution GC-MS systems, sensitivity does not decrease at higher resolution. Quantitative performance for pesticides at 100 ng/mL in soil extracts remained unchanged from 15 000 to 240 000 resolving power.
• Soft chemical ionization spectra generated by positive CI with methane reagent gas yield clear molecular adducts, supporting confident elemental composition confirmation when electron ionization alone does not produce a molecular ion.

Benefits and Practical Applications

• Comprehensive workflows from targeted quantitation to untargeted profiling in a single platform.
• Reliable detection of trace analytes in complex matrices with low detection limits and high confidence.
• Flexible source design reduces downtime by enabling rapid mode changes and column swaps without venting.
• Integrated software and curated spectral libraries streamline data analysis and compound ID in research and QA/QC laboratories.

Future Trends and Opportunities

Continued advances in high resolution GC-MS will further enhance multi-omic studies and real-time monitoring of environmental pollutants. Integration with artificial intelligence for automated spectral deconvolution and retrospective data mining will expand the discovery of novel biomarkers and emerging contaminants.

Conclusion

The Orbitrap Exploris GC 240 mass spectrometer represents a step change in GC-MS capability, offering ultra-high resolving power, consistent sub-ppm mass accuracy, and robust sensitivity across diverse workflows. Its flexible source architecture and informatics tools make it a powerful solution for modern analytical challenges in research and routine testing.

References

• Thermo Fisher Scientific. Orbitrap Exploris GC 240 mass spectrometer brochure BR10640 Lead discovery Delivering broader and deeper insights 2024
• Thermo Fisher Scientific. Product Specifications PS10738 Orbitrap Exploris GC 240 mass spectrometer 2024
• Thermo Fisher Scientific. Technical Note TN10730 Mass resolving power of 240 000 for confident compound identification 2024