LCMS-2050 Single Quadrupole LC/MS
The LCMS-2050 Combines the user-friendliness of an LC detector with excellent performance of MS to provide a complete package.
Liquid Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometry
Liquid Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometry
Shimadzu’s LC-MS single quadrupole (SQ), triple quadrupole and QTOF instruments deliver precise, high-throughput analysis, combining liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry for accurate compound identification and quantification in diverse applications. Explore our cutting-edge liquid chromatograph mass spectrometry solutions.
Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) is an indispensable quantitative and qualitative analysis tool. This powerful technique offers users highly sensitive and specific analyses, which is why the approach is favored across various industries and applications, including pharmaceuticals, forensic toxicology, clinical research, food and environmental testing. Whether you’re looking to maximize throughput, increase sensitivity for trace compound analysis, or install a compact liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) instrument in a smaller lab space without losing workflow efficiency, Shimadzu provides a range of world-class LC-MS instruments to meet your daily analysis needs. With unique automation features and intuitive software, a smooth analysis experience is guaranteed for beginners and experts alike.
Explore Shimadzu's Liquid Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometry Products
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LCMS-TQ RX Series
Triple quadrupole LCMS with world-class sensitivity and detection speeds, boasting increased robustness and operability.
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LCMS-9050 Q-TOF LCMS System
The LCMS-9050 is a Q-TOF mass spectrometer that inherits technology from Shimadzu's LCMS series and achieves the highest class of mass accuracy.
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PHARMACEUTICAL / BIOPHARMA
Explore solutions for small molecule and biopharma applications.
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What is liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry?
LC/MS brings together the two analytical approaches of liquid chromatography (LC) and mass spectrometry (MS). Leveraging LC’s proficiencies in the separation of molecules with MS’s highly sensitive identification capabilities, LC/MS offers qualitative and quantitative robustness in analysis.
LC was first demonstrated in the early 1900s by botanist Mikhail Semyonovich Tswett. The technique relies on liquid to separate a sample into its individual components – based on the interaction of the sample during the mobile and stationary phases. Once this rigorous separation has occurred, the MS phase of the process begins, whereby compounds are quantified with a high degree of selectivity and sensitivity based on the mass-to-charge ratios of each compound in the sample.
Because of the accuracy LC-MS offers, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometers are highly valuable in a wealth of applications in scientific and industrial fields. LC-MS is frequently used in clinical research to analyze drugs, vitamins, and minerals in whole blood, plasma, serum, and urine. It’s also a mainstay of environmental analyses, including research into the qualitative and quantitative determination of various regulated and emerging contaminants.
How does LC-MS work?
The analytical workflow of LC/MS begins with the injection of the sample mixture into the LC column. Depending on the focus of your analysis and the specific capabilities of your LC-MS instrument, the mixture will be separated into individual compounds before being eluted (or removed) from the column to begin the MS phase. At this point, these individual components are ionized and separated in a vacuum based on their mass-to-charge ratios so the intensity of each ion can be measured and recorded. The data pertaining to the relative ion intensities against the mass-to-charge ratios is then plotted in a mass spectrum, identifying the molecular breakdown of the sample mixture with respective concentration levels – also known as qualitative analysis.
When LC and MS are brought together via LC-MS instruments, users enjoy the outstanding separation resolution of LC with the excellent qualitative capabilities of MS. Shimadzu’s LC-MS instruments are world-renowned for their superior performance and capabilities – the LCMS-8050 being the first mass spectrometer to achieve a scan speed of 30,000 u/sec and 5 msec polarity switching time. Shimadzu's LC-MS instruments have been developed to deliver precision, accuracy, and efficiency in every application, offering unique automation features, intuitive software, supporting accessories and a choice in speed, sensitivity and resolution.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the principles of (LC-MS)?
Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) draws together the analytical tools of liquid chromatography (LC) and mass spectrometry (MS). Combining the enhanced separation resolution of LC with the highly sensitive identification capabilities of MS, LC-MS offer superior qualitative and quantitative analysis of known and unknown compounds.
What kind of analysis is LC/MS used for?
LC/MS analysis can be used to test a variety of substances and is invaluable for its highly sensitive and selective analysis of even trace compounds. For this reason, LC-MS is utilized to analyze a broad range of sample materials, from pharmaceutical compounds to environmental pollutants.
How to interpret results of LC/MS analysis?
Analytical results of LC/MS are displayed via chromatograms. Output metrics include retention time and mass-to-charge ratios of ions existing in sample mixtures, which indicate compound identities and concentrations. This qualitative and quantitative data offers incredibly detailed and accurate insights into the breakdown of subject material, making it invaluable to various industries.
What are the applications of LC/MS?
As LC/MS offers superior qualitative and quantitative capabilities, it is utilized in numerous applications across industries such as pharmaceuticals, biopharmaceuticals, forensic science, food and environmental testing. It’s used in clinical research and toxicology to find drugs, vitamins and minerals in whole blood, plasma, serum and urine. You’ll also see LC/MS employed in metabolomics, proteomics and genomics studies.
In the environmental field, LC/MS is widely utilized for the qualitative and quantitative determination of known pollutants (e.g. pesticides, bacteria, pharmaceuticals and personal care products) and trace-level emerging contaminants. Food safety and development have also adopted LC-MS for product quality control, including the quantitation of food additives and the composition analysis of supplements and organic foods. You’ll find Shimadzu’s range of application-specific LC-MS here.
What are the advantages of LC/MS?
LC-MS is an invaluable tool for technical analysis because of its high level of selectivity and sensitivity. Certain models of LC-MS are capable of detecting compounds below one part per trillion. The precision, accuracy, and reliability of the results in separating and identifying known and unknown compounds make LC/MS analysis a powerful technique with a multitude of applications.