Screening and characterizationScreening and characterization of analytes based on mass spectrometry is routinely used in areas like metabolite identification, food and environmental analysis of contaminants, and extractables and leachables from the pharmaceutical or food industries. IMS can be employed for both targeted and untargeted screening methods for robust and reliable identification of analytes, providing clarity and confidence to datasets. IMS separates ions in the gas phase based on their different mobility (drift time) in the presence of an electric field. Under these conditions, the mobility of an ion depends on its size, shape and charge. IMS is used for separation of co-eluting isomers, separating analytes from interfering background ions in complex matrices, increasing peak capacity and to facilitate structural elucidation. Whilst drift times are easily acquired using ion mobility-mass spectrometry, they are not practical to use in screening applications as they are instrument and condition specific. However, the collision cross section (CCS), a physicochemical property of an ion, can be derived from the measured drift times to provide an orthogonal molecular descriptor in addition to those of retention time and m/z. Moreover, CCS has proven to be a robust parameter across multiple platform conditions and matrices making it an ideal screening parameter. Using CCS as an additional identification point can provide increased confidence in compound identification by improving the method selectivity and decreasing the rate of false positive and false negative identifications.In addition to more conventional targeted screening methods such as pesticide identification, CCS values can be used, to track metabolites through the drug development process. Using screening workflows allows the user to acquire, process and report results from a single integrated platform, reducing the time required for data review. Learn more:Technical NoteScreening Workflow for Extractables Testing Using the UNIFI Scientific Information SystemWebpageExtractables and Leachables OverviewResearch ArticleUse of ion mobility mass spectrometry to enhance cumulative analytical specificity and separation to profile 6‐C/8‐C-glycosylflavone critical isomer pairs and known–unknowns in medicinal plantsApplication NoteIntegrating Ion Mobility into Routine Drug Metabolite Identification Studies Using the Vion IMS QTof Mass SpectrometerWebpageEnvironmental testingWebpageFood testingApplication NoteA Novel Strategy to Screen and Profile Steviol Glycosides of Natural Sweeteners in Food Using ionKey/MS Ion Mobility Mass SpectrometryWebpageWaters metabolite identification contentResearch ArticleSeparation of isomeric disaccharides by traveling wave ion mobility mass spectrometry using CO2 as drift gasResearch ArticleExploring the Complexity of Steviol Glycosides Analysis Using Ion Mobility Mass SpectrometryResearch ArticleInvestigations into the performance of travelling wave enabled conventional and cyclic ion mobility systems to characterise protomers of fluoroquinolone antibiotic residuesResearch ArticleTowards the use of ion mobility mass spectrometry derived collision cross section as a screening approach for unambiguous identification of targeted pesticides in foodWhite paperThe benefits of gas-phase collision cross-section (CCS) measurements in high-resolution, accurate-mass UPLC/MS analysesNext >StructuralImaging‘OmicsShare this article
