Mass spectrometry labs: owning the instrument or buying the answer

Own or buy a mass spectrometry machine

1. Count the samples and the methods. A steady flow of one or two established methods justifies owning. Occasional, varied and difficult work is usually better bought, because the expertise rather than the instrument is what you are short of.
2. Name the matrix in every conversation. Ion suppression, source contamination and carryover are matrix problems. A laboratory or a vendor with experience of your matrix is worth more than a better specification without it.
3. Choose the analyser from the question. Targeted quantitation of known compounds points to a triple quadrupole. Identification, screening and retrospective analysis point to high resolution. Elemental work is a different instrument class entirely.
4. Budget the running cost honestly. Gases, vacuum pump service, source cleaning, a service contract and the operator. On these instruments the recurring cost is a large fraction of ownership and it is rarely in the business case.
5. Inspect a used instrument on the parts that wear. Vacuum system condition and hours, source state, detector age and whether the control software runs on a supported operating system. The last one ends more used purchases than the hardware does.
6. Check accredited scope when buying a service. Accreditation covers named methods. Confirm yours appears on the published schedule, and ask what is subcontracted.

The operator is the instrument, whatever the mass spectrometry instruments cost

These platforms reward expertise more than any other class of laboratory equipment. A modest instrument run by someone who understands the chemistry produces better data than an excellent one run occasionally.

If no such person exists and none is being hired, buying the answer is not a compromise, it is the correct decision.

Sample preparation is most of the method, including MALDI mass spectrometry

Extraction, clean up and dilution determine ion suppression, source contamination and achievable limits. Two laboratories with identical instruments will differ mainly in their preparation.

When comparing services, ask about their preparation for your matrix rather than about their instrument list.

mass spectrometry instrumentation, and the analyser decides the use

The analyser is what to read on a specification. A single quadrupole is a detector for a chromatograph. A triple quadrupole counts specific transitions and is the quantitation reference. A time of flight or an orbital trap gives high resolution and accurate mass, which is what identifies unknowns and reads intact proteins. An ion trap is versatile and less quantitative. Around any of them sit the source, electrospray or a chemical or laser ionisation, and the front end, which is usually the chromatograph, and both change what the instrument can be asked.

Common questions

Triple quad mass spec or high resolution?

Targeted quantitation of known analytes at volume points to the first; identification, unknown screening and the ability to reinterrogate data point to the second. Many laboratories eventually need both.

What is the real running cost of a mass spectrometry laboratory?

Gas, vacuum servicing, source cleaning, consumables and a service contract, plus the operator's time. It is substantial and it is the part most often omitted from a purchase justification.

Are used instruments from mass spectrometry companies sensible?

It can be, from a serviced fleet with records. The risks are vacuum system condition, detector age and unsupported control software, and all three are checkable before purchase.

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