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:

For protonated TNT, rather than decreasing signal intensity with increasing E/N (the ratio of the electric field strength E to buffer gas number density N in the drift tube), which is the more usual sensitivity pattern observed in PTR-MS studies, an anomalous behavior is observed, whereby the signal intensity initially rises with increasing E/N.

This dependence provides an easily measurable signature that can be used to provide a rapid highly selective analytical procedure to minimize false positives for the detection of TNT. This has major implications for Homeland Security and, in addition, has the potential of making instrumentation cost-effective for use in security areas.

Link to the ACS’ Analytical Chemistry journal article

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:

Utilizing recent developments and improvements in PTR-MS, we can rapidly detect two important environmental pollutant compound classes (isocyanates and PCBs) at high accuracy and without any sample preparation. Detection of traces of isocyanates and PCBs in air and also of PCBs in liquids is possible using IONICON PTR-MS and the experimental direct aqueous injection (DAI) inlet system. These results could be used for the development of a real-time monitoring device for industrial waste, polluted air or water quality surveillance.

Learn more and download our poster on Monitoring and Quantifying Toxic Industrial Chemicals (TICs) with PTR-MS (0.4 MB .pdf)

Article in press:

B. Agarwal, S. Jürschik, P. Sulzer, F. Petersson, S. Jaksch, A. Jordan T. D. Märk: Detection of isocyanates and polychlorinated biphenyls using proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry, Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom., 26 (2012), 983–989. Link

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.

As a concluding remark I can admit without a doubt that for us, this was the most successful Pittcon ever with a significantly increased attendance of conferees interested in PTR-MS at our booth and posters.
Thank you for coming and we look forward to seeing you next year at Pittcon 2013 in Phildelphia!

Join us at Analytica 2012 and other noteworthy events throughout 2012!

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.

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.

Today we celebrated with our team but we would also like to take the opportunity thanking everybody who contributed to this extraordinary success we would have never imagined to see. My personal thanks go to all our customers and scientists using our equipment, to all co-workers and partners, to our families and friends and of course to our shareholders who support our work every day!

We set ourselves challenging goals for the future and, based on the successful past of high investments in product development, market exploration and customer satisfaction, would like to continue the successfully growing with your help and trust.

“Thank you!”

Sincerely Yours,

Lukas Märk