This page of the Mass Spectrometry Facility provides a variety of information about the Facility, available spectrometer, charges (internal/external), and policies.

For low resolution MS, you can if you wish download the form as a Word document to print it on your computer. Fill it out in your lab before you bring it along with your sample.

For Accurate Mass Service the samples are sent to Toronto (EI/CI) or Montreal (FAB/ES) with the following form as a Word document.which you can print out on your computer. Fill it out in your lab before you bring it along with your sample. Your low resolution spectra must be provided to Tom Hunter with the form when you submit your sample. For more information on the procedure for submitting a sample for High Res consult the protocol below

A few definitions of the terms used in Mass Spectrometry and a table of the accurate mass and abundance of various isotopes can be consulted here

There are a few links on the WEB that could be interesting for the Mass Spectrometer user

• shockwave animation explaining the Mass spectrometer.
• Virtual GC-Mass spectrometer
• Mass Spec Freeware Available on the Internet
• Mass spec calculation: input a chemical formula and get the pattern of isotope distribution
• Steven's List of Chemistry Software on the WWW lots of Freeware and Shareware (including a personal MS calculator)
• Data base for MS, NMR and IR
  

• Equipment
• Usage of the MS equipment
• Data archival
• Charges (internal and external)
• Protocol to send samples for Accurate Mass

Spectrometer equipment:

The main departmental instrument is a VG Quattro mass spectrometer providing EI, CI, FAB, ES and APCI with MS-MS capabilities. The EI/CI samples are introduced by both solids probe and GC, the FAB samples by static probe and ES/APCI samples by LC.
The instrument is equipped with a double quadrupole analyzer with an intermediate hexapole collision cell. It's mass range is 0-4000 AMU.

The MS equipment is under the supervision of :

Tom Hunter GB18 
phone: 77886 (internal)
(613) 533-6000 (77886) (external)
email: huntert@chem.queensu.ca

A secondary instrument, with EI capability only, is available for GC-MS of samples under 800 AMU. This instrument is available through:

Pat Mulligan GG14
phone: 74661 (internal)
(613) 533-6000 (74886) (external
email: pat@chem.queensu.ca

Usage of the MS equipment

The samples can be submitted by bringing them (with the form) and placing them on the small table outside GB18. The samples will be run as soon as possible. For more information on the operation of the MS Facility you can consult the guidelines.

The MS equipment is under the supervision of :

Tom Hunter GB18 
phone: 77886 (internal)
(613) 533-6000 (77886) (external)
email: huntert@chem.queensu.ca

For heavy users training is available.

 Data archival and Off-line data processing

• The data will be available on the computer in the MS facility for about 1 year.
• The data can also be copied to the server for transfer to your own PC as requested.
• After about one year the data is copied to a CD for archival and removed from the MS-PC and from the server.

The MassLynx software is available for those interested in doing off-line data processing in their own lab.

Contact huntert@chem.queensu.ca for further information.

Charges for MS

The charges for that service are indicated in the table below. (the external fee are twice the internal).

Abbreviations used:

CI : Chemical Ionization
EI : Electron Ionization
FAB : Fast Atom Bombardment
ES : Electrospray
FIA : Flow Injection Analysis (no chromatography)
APCI : Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization
MS-MS : Tandem Mass spec.

Accurate Mass submission protocol

The samples for Accurate Mass are sent to Toronto or Montreal University for analysis.

• A Accurate Mass request form must be fully filled out
• A copy of the low resolution MS must be attached to this form
• The sample (1 ug to 1 mg) should be appropriately sealed in a glass vial (or ampoule) for shipment to proper university.
• The form with attached low Res MS and the sealed sample must be brought to T. Hunter in GB18.
• The sample will be shipped by courier through D. Dunton.

Note: D. Dunton will not accept samples directly from the users.