Fine and targeted tuning of a single quadrupole MS hyphenated with gas chromatography using Taguchi method

Abstract

Fine-tuning of the mass spectrometer (MS) is necessary before the analysis of the test samples for better performance, fault-free operation, and lower limit of detection (LOD) value. It is usually done on the basis of the response of calibration gas perfluoro tributyl amine. The voltages of the lenses, multiplier, and prefilter are the significant factors influencing the response of the calibration gas, and getting their optimized/targeted value consumes plenty of time for the scientists. To overcome this issue, a Taguchi model using an L25 orthogonal array has been developed to tune the single quadrupole MS rapidly. The model fit was calculated for the specific m/z ions 69, 100, 131, 219, 264, 414, and 502 of calibration gas and found to range from 96.92 % to 99.03 %. The model-calculated values were compared with the actual values, and there was a 98 % correlation between them. Apart from that, the tuned MS was utilized for the determination of the LOD of pentafluorobenzoic acid methyl ester and found the reduced LOD of 5.4 ng/mL.