Agilent QuickProbe Comprehensive e-Book

Importance of the topic

Accurate and rapid identification of chemicals in powders, solids, and liquids is essential in forensic, food safety, and industrial settings. Conventional GC/MS workflows often involve time-consuming sample preparation and lengthy chromatographic runs. The Agilent QuickProbe GC/MS technology addresses these challenges by enabling direct, real-time analysis with minimal or no sample preparation in under one minute.

Study overview and objectives

This summary integrates findings from white papers, brochures, application notes, and case studies evaluating the Agilent QuickProbe system for:

• Sub-minute screening of seized drugs without extraction
• High-throughput forensic casework with reviewable spectra
• Rapid screening of non-extracted food samples and plant materials

Methodology and instrumentation

The system comprises:

• QuickProbe inlet (model G3971A) mounted on Agilent 5975/5977 GC/MS
• Heat-resistant glass probes (round tip G5190-5118, pocket tip G5190-5113) and specialty frit liner G5190-5104
• Short GC columns (DB-1HT 1.5 m×0.25 mm, 0.1 µm) with fast temperature ramps (up to 16 °C/s)
• Helium carrier gas, fixed split injection (~1:10), transfer line at 280 °C
• Electron ionization and single-quadrupole MS detection; data acquired and processed with Agilent MassHunter software

Key results and discussion

• Sub-minute analysis achieved for drug mixtures (e.g., hydrocodone/acetaminophen) with NIST match scores >90
• Forensic workflow demonstrated system and probe blanks, followed by sample runs in • Screening of 83% of adjudicated case samples correctly identified, including synthetic cannabinoids and barbiturates
• 60-second screening of food matrices (oils, spices, botanicals) with clear chromatograms and library matches ≥89

Benefits and practical applications

• Eliminates labor-intensive sample preparation steps and accelerates decision making
• Generates reviewable MS data for forensic defensibility and audit trails
• Flexible sampling of solids, powders, liquids, and plant tissues
• Streamlines laboratory workflows, reduces backlogs, and increases throughput
• Applicable to forensic laboratories, food testing, environmental screens, and QA/QC operations

Future trends and potential applications

Advances may include integration with high-resolution MS for enhanced specificity, automated probe handling for unattended analysis, surface mapping of residues, and coupling with chemometric tools for complex mixture deconvolution. Emerging fields such as clinical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and on-line process analytics stand to benefit from real-time direct insertion screening.

Conclusion

The Agilent QuickProbe GC/MS system offers a transformative approach to screening by delivering rapid, direct-insertion analysis with minimal preparation. Proven across forensic drug analysis, food safety testing, and environmental matrices, it enhances laboratory productivity, provides high-confidence spectral data, and supports timely, defensible decision making.

References

• Demoranville LT, Brewer TM Ambient Pressure Thermal Desorption Ionization Mass Spectrometry for the Analysis of Substances of Forensic Interest Analyst 2013 138 5332 DOI:10.1039/c3an00726j
• Deimler RE et al Direct Analysis of Drugs in Forensic Applications Using Laser Ablation Electrospray Ionization-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Analytical Methods 2014 6 4810 DOI:10.1039/c4ay01043d
• SWGDRUG Supplemental Document SD-2 United States Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration 2014
• SWGDRUG Recommendations 7th ed United States Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration 2016
• Wang M et al Application of GC/Q-TOFQ Combined with Advanced Data Mining and Chemometric Tools in the Characterization and Quality Control of Bay Leaves Planta Medica 2018 84 14 1045–1054 DOI:10.1055/a-0585-5987