IONICON News & Views

Article in ACS’ Analytical Chemistry journal: Discovery of a new dimension in selectivity for PTR-MS

We have already successfully demonstrated the ability of PTR-MS to detect common threat agents such as CWAs, TICs and Explosives in earlier studies. Using high-resolution IONICON PTR-TOFMS series instruments an unambiguous identification of most known substances has already been proven.

A new study shows that another potentially useful procedure for the elimination of false positives with regard to the detection of TNT using PTR-MS technology was found:

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Application case study and article in press: Isocyanates and Polychlorinated Biphenyls real-time detection using PTR-MS

Isocyanates are highly reactive species widely used in industry. They can cause irritation of the eyes, trigger asthma, etc. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were widely used in electrical equipment like capacitors and transformers in the last century and are still present in the environment today. PCBs are known to cause cancer and to affect the immune, reproductive, nervous and endocrine systems.

Therefore, there is a need for a simple, rapid and reliable analytical method for the detection of traces of isocyanates and of PCBs. IONICON PTR-MS technology seems to be an ideal method for rapid screening for TICs which we demonstrated in a recently published article:

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At Pittcon® 2012 we were able to increase attendance at our booth and posters. Now we are looking forward to Pittcon 2013 in Philadelphia!

From March 11 to 15 Orlando, FL was once again hosting Pittcon with its more than 15,000 attendees populating Orlando’s International Drive, Orange County Convention Center and of course the show floor where we had our IONICON booth.

We participated in the Conference with numerous scientific contributions such as posters, but also in networking sessions highlighting the scientific character of Pittcon Conference and Exposition. This year we increased our booth space in order to more conveniently demonstrate PTR-MS to interested attendees (e.g. performing live breath-testing or analysis of ambient air). Moreover a dedicated meeting area was provided for comfortably discussing advantages of our real-time direct injection mass spectrometry systems in specific application areas.

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A new generation in high sensitivity and high resolution Proton Transfer Reaction Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

We entered the market of commercial PTR-TOF-MS instruments in 2007 and soon became the benchmark for ultimate performance. True to our mission to developing instruments that go beyond known standards, we launched a product that exceeded specifications claimed in the literature at that time by far.

Now we redefine known standards again, but this time our own:

The IONICON PTR-TOF 8000 and PTR-TOF 2000, tuned to perfection, are both continuing to lead their respective fields in the market of time of flight based PTR-MS instruments: the PTR-TOF 8000 features the highest mass resolving power and the PTR-TOF 2000 the lowest detection limit of all commercially available PTR-TOF-MS systems.

Investments in in our R&D capabilities, but also in software engineering and ongoing optimization efforts have raised the bar: download our new PTR-TOFMS series Performance White Paper and have a look at our PTR-TOFMS series Performance Website to learn more.

Since our incorporation in 1998 we built more than 200 units of trace gas analyzers and just shipped the 200^th PTR-MS to an overseas customer: a high-resolution, ultra-sensitive PTR-TOF 8000.

In the 1990s, a handful of dedicated scientists from the University of Innsbruck, Austria had a brilliant idea: after many years of ion molecule reaction studies at the Institute for Ionphysics and a first build of a VOC analysis instrument based on proton transfer from protonated water (H₃O⁺), they called the method and their prototype “PTR-MS” (Proton Transfer Reaction – Mass Spectrometry) and founded the company IONICON Analytik GmbH in 1998.

Since then, the abbreviation PTR-MS became a worldwide known acronym for this type of instrument and IONICON became associated with being the world’s leading PTR-MS company.

In the last 14 years, we were able to grow from a university spin-out with one employee to a small, but successful corporation with a staff of 20 specialists and a portfolio of trace gas analysis solutions based on PTR-MS and other technologies using quadrupole or time of flight mass spectrometers.

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PTR-MS ist eine etablierte Technologie in der Lebensmittelanalytik und der Geschmacks- und Geruchsforschung

In den letzten Jahren ist PTR-MS zu einer Art “Goldstandard” in der Lebensmittelanalytik avanciert, wenn es darum geht quantitative Echtzeitdaten von Geruch und Geschmack, ohne aufwendige Probenvorbereitung direkt am Lebensmittel oder einer Testperson, die es zu sich nimmt, zu gewinnen. Lebensmittelkonzerne aber auch viele Forschungseinrichtungen setzen auf unsere Produkte um den Genuss für den Konsumenten zu erhöhen und gleichbleibende gute Qualität zu gewährleisten.

Ein neuer Fachartikel zum Thema PTR-MS als Technologie im Aroma-Design und der Lebensmittelsicherheit ist heute auf Laborpraxis.de erschienen. Eine gute Zusammenfassung des aktuellen Einsatzgebiets unserer hoch-empfindlichen Echtzeit-Analysegeräte für organische Bestandteile der Luft, bietet der Artikel:
“PTR-MS hilft beim Aroma-Design und der Lebensmittelsicherheit”

We support young researchers at two GRCs in 2012

The Gordon Research Conferences provide an international forum for the presentation and discussion of frontier research in the biological, chemical, and physical sciences, and their related technologies.

Two GRCs closely related to our own scientific research and PTR-MS are now supported by IONICON in order to give young researchers the opportunity to present their work to the scientific community.

These days the GRC for Plant Volatiles takes place in Ventura, CA, January 29 – February 3, 2012 and has as topics: Ecology, Biosynthesis, Regulation and Animal Perception of Floral and Vegetative Volatiles, Plus their Roles in Human Flavor and Agriculture.

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