Triple hyphenated methods

In a typical analysis, one approach would be to carry out the analysis by first using Cl and quadrupole MS. The fragments from this first MS would then be directed to an El and a TOF mass spectrometer. Different fragments will be observed and this will yield additional information about the sample. In many cases, the MS-MS analysis is applied to samples eluting from either LC, HPLC, or GC chromatographic separation techniques. For additional information on this topic, see Triple Hyphenated Methods. ... 

It is also possible to carry out a GC-GC-FTIR analysis (see Triple Hyphenated Methods ). FTIR is very rapid, which means that several scans of the eluting material can usually be obtained. These are automatically combined by the spectrometer to give the final spectrum. The more scans that can be obtained, the more noise can be reduced, producing a cleaner spectrum. 

Describe the advantages and disadvantages of triple hyphenated analytical methods. 

The first hyphenated approach to be considered is the on-line combination of MS and MS, i.e. tandem mass spectrometry (MS-MS). A variety of combinations of different mass analysers have been described, including quadrupole and magnetic-sector analysers as MS], and quadrupole, magnetic-sector, ion-trap and time-of-flight analysers as MS2. Instruments like triple-quadrupoles are widely used for MS-MS, either as stand-alone systems with sample introduction via a solids insertion probe or flow-injection analysis, or in on-line combination with GC or LC. The work of Yost and co-workers and of Hunt and colleagues exemplify these methods. 

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