The ABCRF High Resolution Mass Spectrometry Laboratory provides high resolution mass spectrometry services to the ABCRF, the School of Chemistry, associated internal/external users and a highly efficient service to industry.

Background

The mass spectrometry group specializes in the characterization of compounds within the mass ranges of 50-60000 Da. Equipment available includes the following mass spectrometers: a Quattro Micro triple quadrupole instrument (2005); an LCT Premier Time Of Flight instrument (2005) and a newly acquired Vion IMS High Resolution mass spectrometer via SFI Infrastructure Award (2019).

Waters Quattro Micro Triple Quadrupole MS

Waters LCT Premier Time of Flight Mass Spectrometer

Vion IMS High Resolution Mass Spectrometer

Instruments have been recently refurbished and are maintained annually. The instruments are located in a dedicated, air-conditioned laboratory in the Pharmacy Building, UCC. The service is designed to run high throughput Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (LCMS) utilizing both UPLC and HPLC. Each instrument supports a broad spectrum of teaching and research activities at undergraduate and postgraduate level including undergraduate laboratory support, MSc level projects and synthetic and analytical postgraduate research which relies heavily on this technique. We have a well-established record of delivery for the chemical and pharmaceutical industry in the Munster region and educational institutions throughout the country.

Applications

UCC has excellent LCMS capability and a record for supporting chemistry teaching and research in the following areas:

• Nominal and high resolution mass acquisition to support structural assignments.
• Determination of molecular structure and fragmentation.
• Investigation of reaction mechanisms, products and side products.
• Impurity profiling of food or pharmaceutical process.
• Compositional analysis of organic mixtures.
• Pharmaceutical chemistry support from discovery to plant.

Projects

Collaborative LCMS projects with biological, chemical and food sciences and the Irish pharmaceutical industry include the areas of process research and development, confirmation of structure and composition of mixtures. Sample projects which we have completed include:

• Impurity profiling of pharmaceutical processes for multinational companies with target identification and resolution.
• Clinical analysis of biomarkers and drugs in the tumour microenvironment.
• Discovery research on the in vitro adduct forms of anticancer compounds.
• Open access platform for low resolution sample submission (ca. 50 authorised walk-up users).
• Analysis of synthetic products for undergraduate laboratories of modules CM3102 and PF2013.

Further Information

Access plan and charges for external users is solely intended a guide as each project requires an individual approach. In the first instance a project should be discussed and defined by email or phone with Dr. McCarthy before quotation, followed by purchase order and invoicing.

Contact

• Dr. Florence McCarthy