Orbitrap Mass Analyzers

By registering the ion oscillation, the trap can be used as a mass analyzer. Orbitraps have a high mass accuracy (typically 2—5 ppm), a high resolving power (up to 100,000), and a high dynamic range (around 5000) (Makarov et al., 2006a, b). 

The Orbitrap. The Orbitrap analyzer, [26] invented by Alexander Makarov, has been defined by the company that commercially produces it as the first totally new mass analyzer to be introduced to the market in more than 20 years . Its name recalls the concept of trapping ions. Indeed, ions are trapped in an electrostatic field produced by two electrodes a central spindle-shaped and an outer barrel-like electrode. Ions are moving in harmonic, complex spiral-like movements around the central electrode while shuttling back and forth over its long axis in harmonic motion with frequencies... 

The orbitrap is the most recently invented mass analyzer. Like with the QIT, ions are trapped and stored in a potential well. However, instead of ejecting the ions for external detection the frequency of the trapped oscillationg ions is measured. This method provides substantially better resolution and mass accuracy in normal operation. 

Ion detection is carried out using image current detection with subsequent Fourier transform of the time-domain signal in the same way as for the Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) analyzer (see Section 2.2.6). Because frequency can be measured very precisely, high m/z separation can be attained. Here, the axial frequency is measured, since it is independent to the first order on energy and spatial spread of the ions. Since the orbitrap, contrary to the other mass analyzers described, is a recent invention, not many variations of the instrument exist. Apart from Thermo Fischer Scientific s commercial instrument, there is the earlier setup described in References 245 to 247. 

Image current detection is (currently) the only nondestructive detection method in MS. The two mass analyzers that employ image current detection are the FTICR and the orbi-trap. In the FTICR ions are trapped in a magnetic field and move in a circular motion with a frequency that depends on their m/z. Correspondingly, in the orbitrap ions move in harmonic oscillations in the z-direction with a frequency that is m/z dependent but independent of the energy and spatial spread of the ions. For detection ions are made... 

M. Hardman and A. Makarov. Interfacing the Orbitrap Mass Analyzer to an Electrospray Ion Source. Anal. Chem., 75(2003) 1699-1705. 

M. Scigelova and A. Makarov. Orbitrap Mass Analyzer Overview and Applications in Proteomics. Proteomics, 6(2006) 16-21. 

Advances in high resolution mass analyzers (TOF, FT-ICR, orbitrap) have greatly improved the detection and identification of metabolites based on accurate mass measurements. In single MS mode accurate mass determination is mainly used to differentiate between isobaric ions. Combined with LC-MS, it allows the detection of predicted metabolites by performing extracted ion current profiles... 

Orbitrap The newest of the major mass analyzers, the Orbitrap is a hybrid MS consisting of a LIT mass analyzer, or transmission quadmpoles connected to the high-resolution Orbitrap mass analyzer. The Orbitrap utilizes electrical fields between sections of a roughly egg-shaped outer electrode and an inner (spindle) electrode (Chapter 5). Ions orbit between the inner and outer electrodes and their oscillation is recorded on detector plates (Hardman and Makarov, 2003 Hu et al., 2005). As with the FTICR, fast Fourier transform of the raw data is used to convert the data for mass analysis, making the Orbitrap the second major type of FTMS instrument. The resolving power of the Orbitrap is intermediate... 

The Orbitrap-based systems have emerged as the newest option for LC-HRMS. When configured as hybrid linear trap-Grbitrap (LTQ-Orbitrap), the systems are conceptually similar to Q-TOF in that mass analyzer 1 is nominally a unit mass analyzer, and mass analyzer 2 is capable of high resolution. These systems are capable of either LC-HRMS or LC-MS/HRMS operation. A new variant on the commercial Orbitrap, the Exactive, is expected to be released in late 2008. This system, which consists only of the single mass analyzer, has shown promising results in early assessment of quantitation by LC-HRMS (Bateman et al., 2008). 

Hardman, M., and Makarov, A. A. (2003). Interfacing the orbitrap mass analyzer to an electrospray ion source. Anal. Chem. 75 1699-1705. 

Schmid, D. G., Grosche, P., Bandel, H., and Jung, G. (2000). FTICR-mass spectrometry for high-resolution analysis in combinatorial chemistry. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 71 149-161. Scigelova, M., and Makarov, A. (2006). Orbitrap mass analyzer—Overview and applications in proteomics. Proteomics 6 (Suppl. 2) 16-21. 

Recent innovations in mass spectrometry have provided incorporation of two, three, and four analyzers into commercially available tandem instruments. In addition, different mass analyzers may be combined to form a hybrid mass spectrometer such as the quadrupole-TOF (Q-TOF). Various types of tandem mass spectrometers include the quadruopole-TOF, time-of-flight-time-of-hight (TOF-TOF), triple-quadrupole, and Orbitrap-FTICR configurations. 

ESI mass spectrum of bovine insulin obtained with an orbitrap. The resolution at m/z 1149 is more than 60000 FWHM. Additional peaks are due to the presence of Ultramark 1621 as internal standard. Reproduced from Hu Q., Makarov A., Noll R.J. and Cooks R.G., Application of the Orbitrap Mass Analyzer to Biologically Relevant Compounds , Proceedings of the 52nd ASMS Conference, Nashville, Tennessee, 2004, with permission. 

Mass spectrometers are composed of three main components the ionization source, the mass analyzer, and the detector. With the development of different mass analyzers, the choice of mass spectrometer for a specific analysis becomes critical (53), for example, if the analysis is to quantitatively profile all proteins in a sample or quantify a preselected set of protein targets. One or a combination of mass analyzers, such as time of flight (TOF), quadrupole (Q), ion trap (IT), ion cyclotron resonance, and Orbitrap , can be implemented in MS or tandem MS (MS/MS). 

ToF analyzers as well as hybrid instruments that combine two or more mass-resolving components, such as quadrupole-ToF (Q-ToF), ion-mobility ToF, and ion-trap-ToF, as well as the high-resolving Fourier transform (FT) analyzer Orbitrap and ion cyclotron resonance (ICR). For targeted analysis, a multiple-reaction monitoring instrument based on triple-quadrupole technologies (QQQ) has provided unrivaled sensitivity for MSI of pharmaceuticals, yet its targeted nature renders it unsuitable for discovery-based research. 

Commercial LITs were introduced in 2002 as either a stand-alone mass spectrometer (LTQ) [318] or as part of a triple quadrupole (Q-Trap) [319] or in 2005 as part of hybrid tandem mass spectrometers (LTQ-Orbitrap and LTQ-FTICR) [88,90], Application of LTQ-FTICR for metabolism studies has been reviewed by Shipkova et al. [90], In comparison to other mass analyzer types, FTICR-based mass spectrometers are not very popular for metabolite identification studies due to availability of less expensive and more user-friendly LTQ-Orbitrap and Q-TOF-based systems. Another limitation associated with the FTICR-based hybrid mass spectrometers is the TOF effect, which results in efficient trapping of only the high-mass ions [90],... 

Along with advances in various ionization sources, significant improvements have been made in the area of mass analyzers. Mass analyzers can be differentiated based on several attributes such as scan speed, duty cycle, mass resolution, mass range, and cost [126], The most common analyzers used for metabonomics analyses include the quadrupole and TOF-based analyzers [125-127], Some other analyzers that have been reported for use in MS-based metabonomics analyses are the ion traps, Orbitraps, and Fourier transform mass spectrometers [128,129],... 

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