Displaying items by tag: Separation Science

I use LECO PEGASUS® BT 4D to separate, identify and quantify secondary metabolites of various organisms. The advantages of the GC×GC system in separation of multi-component mixtures allow us to separate and identify a huge number of compounds in every samples. The ability to separate and quantify low levels of target analytes in mixtures simultaneously with the major components presented at a high level of concentration and to separate coeluted compounds is a great advantage of two-dimensional GC in comparison with one-dimensional GC. The user-friendly ChromaTOF software and excellent technical support make LECO a reliable partner for researcher. Since we started working on this equipment, our results have become more accurate and comprehensive, and our research has reached a new level.

In our lab, the GC×GC-MS device installed by LECO has been a game-changer for metabolic profiling, especially in our multiomics study exploring the intricacies of obesity in young adults. Its sensitivity has been crucial in identifying and quantifying metabolites, even at low concentrations, essential for uncovering subtle changes in the metabolome. Our experience with PEGASUS® BT 4D device has been exceptionally positive, significantly due to the exceptional support of the service team, ensuring the smooth operation and optimal performance of our instrument.

We started using the LECO PEGASUS® BT GC-TOF mainly for target analysis of aliphatic hydrocarbons on environmental matrices; over time we had the need to develop a method for the qualitative characterization of hop leaves samples for a research project, the ChromaTOF® deconvolution software allowed the identification of several compounds, in particular different terpenes. The Pegasus BT GC-TOF thus proved to be an excellent system, easy to use, with high sensitivity and reproducibility, able to perform both non target and target analysis.

I started working with the PEGASUS GC-HRT+ 4D back in my student years. As a novice researcher, with no experience working with similar devices and no training, it was not easy at first. However, after years of working with this instrument and when compared with other sophisticated equipment in the field of gas chromatography - high-resolution mass spectrometry, I can confidently say that the ChromaTOF is the most user-friendly software of all those available now. Such a variety of functions, as well as very clear, convenient, and fast operation, combined with high-tech equipment, allows to get very decent results.

Over the past 5 years of using the Pegasus GC-HRT+ 4D, we have been able to conduct many various environmental studies, identifying trace amounts of substances in the cleanest Arctic environmental objects. At the same time, such a powerful combination of two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry made it possible to analyze complex matrices, namely peat combustion products, herbal and tobacco cigarette smoke, petroleum and much more.

It is worth noting the work of the support service, which helped us very quickly and efficiently. I would like to thank the engineers for their work, who were on call almost 24/7. There are still many projects and tasks ahead that will undoubtedly be solved with the help of the Pegasus GC-HRT+ 4D.

"I have used the LECO BT4D for the separation, identification, and quantification of anabolic steroids.

The advantages of the GC×GC system to separate stereoisomers in a complex matrix means time can be saved from doing complex sample preparation and extraction procedures. The ability to separate and quantify low levels of target analytes from high levels of matrix interferences has been key to my work. With LECO’s user-friendly ChromaTOF software, expert application scientists, and fantastic technical service team, LECO is a reliable and trusted research partner."

"We originally expected to purchase a quadrupole instrument so buying a TOF was a little unexpected but definitely worth it as the data is far richer than what a quadrupole would have supplied. In the three years we have had the instrument running metabolomic matrixes the source has never been cleaned and the data is still superb and consistent. We love our Pegasus BT, it does a fab job of running my FAME samples including milk, yogurt, kefir, biltong and bacteria."

"Our metabolomics research has utilised a LECO Pegasus 4D for over 15 years. Total downtime has probably been less than 20 days for the entire 15 years. When we do have a problem or even a question about using the instrument, LECO are very swift to respond, resolve the issue and offer support and assistance usually within a day of contacting them, and quite often on the same day. The source has never been cleaned or replaced, and we still have the same detector from the original installation. Multiple papers have been produced using data produced from our LECO and I can honestly say it’s been a great asset to our team at York University."

"In 2019 EPSRC funded our vision for a regional Centre of Excellence (CoE) in 2 dimensional gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. This Regional CoE, initially embracing the Universities of Bath, Portsmouth, Southampton, and Swansea, will significantly drive discovery, characterisation and quantification of new modalities, delivering a step change in capability for detection and identification of new species that cannot be separated and determined by 1D GC alone.

LECO’s Pegasus HRT 4D GC×GC-TOFMS and the benchtop BT4D GC×GC-TOFMS, both with extensive automated sample handling capability were delivered in late 2019 and early 2020. Installation of these state-of-the-art instruments was complicated by Covid-19 and lockdown 1.0. With such complex instrumentation, and application areas, effective training was key; here LECO took the initiative and provided both bespoke local and on-demand online training.

The level of service support and close collaborative relationship with LECO (applications team and account manager) has been first rate. Both systems can now be operated remotely, enabling high level users from across the South West region to access the instrumentation and allow many complex questions to be probed. Our work covers a vast array of application, e.g. petrochemical, environmental and metabolomics. The data sets are rich and complex, yet simplified by a user friendly software interface. Compared to 1D-GC, the 4D systems provide an astonishing number of additional analyte identifications, giving us deeper insight and understanding of the samples. Combining LECO’s high resolution mass spectrometry with comprehensive gas chromatography, multiple sample handling options such as SPME, Pyrolysis and TD along with full automation has created a world class laboratory of which we are all very proud."

"I have been using a GC-TOFMS Pegasus BT since January 2018 for Metabolomics projects. I have mainly analysed murine tissues extracts, and, I'm very happy about its robustness and high sensitivity."

"I use a LECO mass spectrometer for plant metabolomics ; it is an efficient machine with a very low detection limit and the Chromatof deconvolution algorithm allows to find hundreds of compounds in complex extracts."

"I have been working with LECO instruments for approx. ten years. I worked with the PEGASUS® 4D, TruTOF, GC-HRT and, for few days in Berlin, with the Pegasus BT and BT 4D – I really enjoyed that. There are several reasons why I like working with the devices and why I would not consider using other GC-MS insturments.

"Following years of service from the old LECO PEGASUS® 4D TOF GC-MS, we upgraded to a new LECO Pegasus BT4D TOF GC-MS. The decision was made due to the exceptional separating power afforded by thecryogenic modulation and the durability of the LECO StayClean® sourcetechnology which has been carried into the updated system. The combination of the two open up a wide variety of analyses to us whichenable use of this instrument in many aspects of our research."

"We send instruments into the harshest of environments and run very demanding samples on them. Bearing this in mind, our decision to upgrade the GC-MS at our remote Cape-Verde site to the new LECO PEGASUS® BT was driven by the promise of the StayClean® source. This minimizes down time and eliminates operations which are difficult to carry out when working with remote systems. The increased sensitivity of theinstrument enables us to take smaller sample volumes which again assists with easing the burden placedon the analytical machine. Finally! the upgrade from quadrupole to time of flight mass spec will enable us to keep historical datasets which can be interrogated for any compounds which prove interesting in the future."

"In 2013, I became responsible for overseeing the department’s analytical suite which included a LECO PEGASUS® 4D GC×GC TOF MS as our flagshipinstrument. I had no experience in gas chromatography and found even a standard GCMS daunting. Over the past years, I received extensive support from LECO. Especially withsupport from LECO UK the instrument is still running strong a decade after purchase. I anticipate it will go for another decade and then some."

"I believe this technology and methodology will profoundly change water analysis realising major benefits for both laboratories and their customers."

"We at SGS MOSH/MOAH group are using the GC × GC-TOFMS from LECO to separate the highly complex fractions of MOSH/MOAH contaminates in food. When you want to identify special patterns of contamination species amongst other analytics (e. g carotenoids) you need a high separation power in combination with a fast screening MS. This is provided by the LECO TOF. Actually we have a new project together with LECO and another company to quantify MOSH/MOAH fractions. The complexity of the instrumentation is high, but with the support of the application team from LECO we reach our goals."

"Initially we had some fears about whether the option of the time of flight detector would be the best for our laboratory, since we have no other system of this kind installed. However, at the end of 6 months of operation with the GC-TOFMS system, it was widely recognized internally that we made the right choice. An easy-to-operate system with high sensitivity, reproducibility and severalanalysis options for a large universe of analytes, and in the most varied matrices increases the versatility of laboratory operation as well as the possibility of responding to the most demanding customer requests."

"Our virtual metabolomics research center has six GC-MS instruments, and the LECO PEGASUS® 4D is the crown jewel of our science park. The results of GC-MS profiling performed using GC×GC technologies has madea strong impression on users and has seriously improved the quality of ourpublications. The fast-scanning capabilities of the TOF-analyzer effectively augment the dataobtained on the ordinary quadrupole, especially when working with the most complexmatrices which are most often the subject of metabolomics analysis. The reliability of the device is especially deserving of praise. The equipment can withstand a very demanding load with constant, round-the-clock operation."

"With the Pegasus BT 4D performing untargeted analysis today is very easy, thanks to the high sensitivity of the instrument, we are able to mine and analyze any type of sample! A combination of very good sensitivity, quality to price ratio and high flexibility make the Pegasus BT 4D system perfect for analysis of every sample"

University of Naples, Italy

"Pegasus BT is the perfect choice for identifying well-known metabolites at low concentration level in our sample, and also discovering new compounds. The most surprising advantage of the BT system is the ion source robustness! We usually work with dirty and complex samples, but we have never observed drop of sensitivity during our analyses.This reduces the time and cost of our analyses!"

"We use the LECO Pegasus BT instrument for the quantification of small polar metabolites. We developed a hybrid method where we quantitate 51 metabolites with standard curves and screen for any other small polar metabolites in a wide range of biological samples. This assay has a great dynamic range thanks to the sensitivity of the BT. The StayClean® ion source allows us to run hundreds of samples in a batch and be confident that the ion source will remain clean even with dirty samples such as plasma."

"Compared to GC equipped with a single column, the Pegasus 4D enabled me to separate unbelievable number of analytes! Tens of thousands of separated peaks in one run was not an exception. But where the separation was not perfect, ChromaTOF software and its deconvolution algorithm did the job. Such excellent ‘separating power’ helped me discover new types of plant PCB metabolites."

"This combination of ultrahigh chromatographic separation with high mass resolution might be still unique for a commercial available end user system."