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Thermo Scientific irm-GC/MS Technology

Environmental Studies

Forensics and Doping Control

Ecology and Metabolic Studies

Geochemistry and Petrology

Food and Flavor Control

The Thermo Scientific irm-GC/MS is the first fully integrated irm-GC/MS system which isoperated like a GC/MS. The new Thermo Scientific GC IsoLink unit integrates the ThermoScientific TRACE GC Ultra gas chromatograph with the Thermo Scientific DELTA V isotoperatio mass spectrometer into one easy-to-use unit. The isotope ratios of all compounds ina GC application can now be monitored with precision of better than 2 ppm (0.0002 at%).

The GC IsoLink unit incorporates the knowledge and experience of an installed base ofmore than 800 irm-GC/MS systems. All injection techniques and detector systems including Thermo Scientific GC/MS analyzers can be an integrated part of the irm-GC/MS system creating the most powerful analytical tool set.

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Target compounds in environmental forensics• Persistent Organic Pollutants POPs• Volatile Organic Compounds VOCs • PAHs and PCBs• Hydrocarbons in petroleum products and sediments

Tracers and metabolites in ecosystems• Lipids and fatty acids• Amino acids• Carbohydrates

Biomarkers in biogeochemistry• Alkanes and alkenes• Hopanes• Natural gas

Authenticity control of food and flavors• Terpenes and terpenoids in essential oils• Fatty acids

Drugs and explosives in forensic investigation• Amphetamines• Xanthines• Nitrobenzenes

Thermo Scientific

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...by addingirm-GC/MS

Chemical and physical processes canchange the natural isotope composition of organic compounds. The carbon, nitrogen,oxygen and hydrogen isotope ratios pre-serve a trace to these events in every mole-cule of a compound. These isotope signa-tures reveal information not accessible inany other way. This includes the origin of acompound, its synthesis pathway, condi-tions at its formation, sometimes even asubstrate can be discovered. Paleoclimaticand diagenetic conditions can be resolvedby the compound specific isotope analysisof biomarkers. Metabolic pathways can beunraveled by using isotopic tracers withlowest artificial isotope enrichment or witha distinctly different natural abundance.

Structural Elucidation by GC/MS

Separation by High Resolution GC

13C / 12C Isotopic Fingerprints by irm-GC/MS

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Isotope ratio monitoring-GC/MSWhile GC/MS provides information on structural elucida-tion and compound quantitation, isotope ratio monitoringGC/MS (irm-GC/MS) reveals the history and origin ofcompounds by reading their isotopic signature with ultra-high precision. Small variations of the natural isotopeabundances cannot be detected with GC/MS systems.Only the combination of a GC and an isotope ratio massspectrometer is capable of routinely achieving therequired precision.

This combination allows to determine the isotope ratiosof all individual compounds in a complex mixture. Allfields of application using GC and GC/MS can benefitfrom isotope ratio monitoring GC/MS. Isotopic finger-prints analyzed by irm-GC/MS may still provide informa-tion where classical GC/MS methods based on compoundquantitation cannot.

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Analysis and Confirmation of Synthetic TestosteroneSynthetic testosterone has a different isotope ratio than natural,endogenous testosterone. Therefore doping can be detected by comparing an athlete’s testosterone isotope ratio with the isotope ratio of its endogenous precursors, e.g. cholesterol. This is much more sensitive and specific than monitoring compound ratios such as the testosterone/epitestosterone ratio.

Doping Control: Prolong Detection of Testosterone Administration

*Data courtesy of German Sports University Cologne, Germany, Center for Preventive Doping Research/Institute of Biochemistry.

• Compound specific isotope analysis of 13C, 15N, 18O, and 2H

• All GC-volatile compounds

• Analysis in the picomole range

• One automated sequence for 13C, 15N and 2H determination

• High GC performance due to true capillary design

• Fully automated and maintenance-free operation

• Self-diagnosis and determination of system parameters

• Combination of quadrupole MS with irm-GC/MS

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Comparison of urinary T/E ratios and δ13C testosterone values determined by irm-GC/MS after ingestion of 40 mg testosterone-undecanoate.*

TriPlus autosampler, ConFlo IV universal interface, GC IsoLink unit and Trace GC Ultra gas chromatograph.

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Elucidation of Metabolic PathwaysThe isotope ratios of substrates, metabolites, and biomarkers areused to explore complex ecosystems with respect to structures offood chains, sources of compounds, detection of species involved inspecific processes. Artificially and naturally labeled compounds incombination with irm-GC/MS analysis enable direct identification ofspecies, elucidation of pathways and turnover rates. These conceptsdo apply to all biological applications with the focus on dietary andlife conditions, migration patterns, position in food webs, metabolicprocesses and diseases.

Methyl Palmitate1009.8‰

5000

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1000

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m/z 2

m/z 3

Methyl Stearate694.6‰

Ecology and Metabolic Studies: Explore Complex Ecosystems

δ2H [‰] Fatty Acid Methyl Esther (FAME) analysis of dog plasma samples.

GC/MS analyzes the ionized molecule and its fragments for quantita-tion and structural elucidation. irm-GC/MS enhances all isotope infor-mation by converting the compounds into simple gases, such as CO2,N2, H2 or CO. The new GC IsoLink unit eliminates the complexity of thisconversion and for the first time allows automatic switching betweenelements, controlling all aspects of the conversion.

...by adding irm-GC/MS

Tracing Oil Spills by Isotope FingerprintsThe molecular and the isotopic fingerprints of crude oils and refinedpetroleum products differ according to their origin and thermalmaturity. The molecular fingerprint of such products changes whenexposed to the environment due to physical and chemical proc-esses, losing the link to original sources. In contrast, the isotopicfingerprint of oils does not alter during environmental degradation.

C16 C17 C18 C19 C21 C22 C23 C24 C25 C27 C29 C30

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bird feathersrelated shoreline residueoriginal cargo oil

unrelated shoreline residue

Environmental Forensics: Reveal the Origin of Samples

Principle of irm-GC/MSThe separation power of capillary GC is now combined with the highprecision of Isotope Ratio MS using the new GC IsoLink unit forcompound specific isotope analysis of 13C/12C, 15N/14N, 18O/16O andD/H. Each organic compound eluting from the GC column is converted into simple gases when traversing one of the capillarymicroreactors. Two conversion techniques are applied:

Quantitative high temperature combustion for 13C and 15N determination converts compounds into CO2, N2 and H2O at up to1450 °C. The H2O formed in the oxidation process is removed on-line and maintenance-free.

Quantitative high temperature pyrolysis for D/H and 18O/16Odetermination converts organic H to H2 at 1450 °C and organic O to CO at 1280 °C in inert and reductive capillary reactors. Because quantitative conversion is achieved no additional clean up is required.

Fully automated computer control directs the GC flow into thecombustion or the pyrolysis reactor which allows for the first timethe analysis of 13C, 15N and 2H within one batch of sequences. Thisnew feature makes irm-GC/MS as easy to operate as classicalGC/MS systems.

Isotope Ratio MS

He+CO2Open Split

Oxidation 1100 °C

Injector

GC Column

High Temperature Pyrolysis 1450 °C

Quadrupole MS

δ13C [‰] analysis by irm-GC/MS allows to keep the link between weatheredresidues and the source of oil pollution.**

** Data courtesy of L. Mazeas, and H. Budzinski, Institut des Sciences Moléculaires (ISM),CNRS Laboratoire de Physico-et-Toxico-Chimie de L´Environnement, Talence, France.

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Thermo Scientific

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Reconstructing Paleoenvironmental ConditionsThe hydrogen isotopic composition of individual n-alkanes andacyclic isoprenoid alkanes in crude oils is controlled by biosyntheticprecursors, source water and post-depositional processes. Oilsderived from source rocks still retain a strong signature of thehydrogen isotopic compositions of source organic matter and sourcewater. This indicates that 13C/12C and D/H values can be used foroil-source correlation and for paleoenvironmental reconstructions.

Biogeochemistry: Read Geological Archives

Thermo Scientific Isodat Software Suite for irm-GC/MSThe irm-GC/MS system is fully automated and controlled by the Isodat software suite. This program isfocused on continuous routine analyses with a fastsetup of all methods and sequences. When coupled toa GC autosampler, the system can be operated fullyunattended for high sample throughput and high productivity. All GC injection techniques and additionalGC detectors are fully supported.

The irm-GC/MS does not require any user interac-tion during operation. Automated system parametercontrol, data evaluation and report generation makeirm-GC/MS as easy-to-use as standard GC/MS.

The Thermo Scientific irm-GC/MS technology canalso be hyphenated with the Thermo Scientific DSQ IIsingle quadrupole GC/MS for simultaneous isotope andstructural elucidation using the Isodat software suiteand Thermo Scientific Xcalibur data system software.

4400 4500 4600 4700 4800Time (s)

C17-150.6

pristane-133.8

D/H Ratio Trace

H2 Trace C18-146.1

phytane-131.8

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δ2H [‰] of alkanes with GC separation of C17 / pristane and C18 / phytane.

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Thermo Scientific Isodat software suite.

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BR30149_E 11/10C

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Thermo Fisher Scientific (Bremen) GmbH Management System Registered to ISO 9001:2008Thermo Fisher Scientific, San Jose, CA USA is ISO Certified.

Installation Requirements

Power3-phase 230/400 V -10% + 6%,fused 16 A/phase (single-phaseoptional), 50/60 Hz, dedicated linevoltage must be free of spikes.

Thermo ScientificInstruments for irm-GC/MS

• GC IsoLink unit• ConFlo IV universal interface• TRACE GC Ultra™

gas chromatograph• TriPlus™ autosampler• DELTA V isotope ratio MS

Supplies• Helium carrier gas• Reference and

regeneration gases • Compressed air

> 400 kPa (> 50 psi)• Thermo Scientific columns

and consumables

Thermo Scientific irm-GC/MS Unit Setup and Dimensions

LiteratureSessions A.L., J. Sep. Sci. 2006, 29, 1946-1961.Benson S., et al., Forensic Sci. Int., 2006, 157, 1-22.Mazeas L., Budzinski H., J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2002, 36, 2, 130-137.Boschker H.T.S., Middelburg J.J., FEMS Microbiology Ecology 2002, 40, 85-95.Li M., et al., Organic Geochemistry 2001, 32, 1387-1399.Hilkert A.W., et al., Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom. 1999, 13, 1226-1230.Horning S., et al., In: Schänzer W., et al., Recent advances in doping analysis (4). Sport und Buch Strauß, Köln, 1997, 275-284.Juchelka D., Mosandl A., Pharmazie 51 (6), 1996.Matthews D.E., Hayes J.M., Anal. Chem. 1978, 50, 1465-1473.

For publications and application data in your field of application, please contact our product specialists.

92 cm (36 inches)

55.3 cm (22 inches)

81 cm (32 inches)