Agilent Technologies Introduces TOF Mass Spectrometer with Greater Throughput and Advanced Software.

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) today announced the availability of its new bench-top time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometer, the Agilent 6210 TOF. The instrument is part of the new Agilent 6000 Series mass spectrometry product line, which aims to set a new standard in price-performance, reliability and ease-of-use for the industry. The TOF provides exceptional resolving power and mass accuracy (less than 3 ppm) with best-in-class sensitivity (low picogram), scanning time (20-40 spectra/sec) and dynamic range (3.5 decades). With its performance and new advanced software, the 6210 TOF will increase the productivity of scientists engaged in a broad range of research and analysis.

TOF mass spectrometry is used to analyze and characterize complex mixtures by accurately determining the mass of individual components. It is commonly used in pharmaceutical, food safety and environmental analysis, and has become an important tool for the study of proteins, glycans (sugars that are attached to proteins) and metabolites in drug discovery and development and disease research.

Major changes to Agilent's upgraded TOF include fast polarity switching with accurate mass and compatibility with Agilent's proprietary multimode ion source, a technology that facilitates fewer experimental runs. The 6210 TOF can perform one positive and one negative scan in one second, while maintaining 10 ppm or better accurate mass. It can acquire 20 full scan spectra per second for analyses of larger molecules (m/z 100-3,000) and 40 per second for analyses of small molecules (m/z 100-1000), keeping pace with the Agilent 1200 Rapid Resolution system, the industry's fastest liquid chromatograph. Together, these capabilities allow researchers to identify more compounds -- from chemical impurities to new drug candidates -- in significantly less time.

New software designed specifically for the 6210 TOF allows for fast set-up, control, data acquisition and analysis. The addition of Agilent's LC/MS Easy Access software makes this powerful technology accessible to any scientist. For application-specific research, the software integrates directly to Agilent's new suite of proteomics and metabolomics software, which provides tools for automated protein and peptide identification, confirmation, profiling and characterization. These programs improve researchers' ability to locate and identify every component in very complex mixtures, making the 6210 TOF a powerful, high-throughput tool for protein profiling and metabolomics research.

The TOF is also compatible with Agilent ChemStation and the ChemStation Data Browser.

A "Walk-Up" Accurate Mass Instrument for Any Scientist

The 6210 TOF was designed to be a "walk-up" accurate mass instrument, which means that it can be used by any scientist who walks up to the instrument and follows the simple step-by-step directions outlined by Agilent's LC/MS Easy Access software.

"Customers have assumed that it is impossible to create an accurate mass instrument that is user-friendly. In fact, even experts have viewed the technology as difficult," said Taia Ergueta, general manager of Agilent's mass spectrometry business. "With the 6210, we have designed an instrument that will make accurate mass measurements easy and accessible for all scientists."

As with all Agilent mass spectrometers, the 6210 TOF features Agilent's proprietary auto-tune technology, which allows rapid and automated instrument calibration. The system combines an innovative analog-to-digital acquisition system, a dual-nebulizer ion source and an automated calibrant delivery system to eliminate the need for users to introduce internal mass standards and match signal intensities, tasks that are traditionally difficult and unreliable to perform. Even mass correction occurs automatically in real time. This results in easy operation and better resolution and mass accuracy across a wider dynamic range.

"The 6210 simultaneously delivers speed , broad dynamic range and mass accuracy approaching FT MS -- a combination that has been elusive in ESI-TOF MS," said Rick Carberry, senior director of LC/MS marketing at Agilent. "The power of accurate mass, along with new levels of reliability and ease of use, brings high-performance MS to new applications in protein and metabolomics profiling, along with walk-up protein and small molecule confirmation."

For more information about the 6210 TOF, visit Agilent online at www.chem.agilent.com/scripts/pds.asp?lpage=10175.

About Agilent in Mass Spectrometry

Agilent is a leading provider of GC/MS, LC/MS and ICP-MS technologies for organic and inorganic spectroscopy. Among the company's key products are the 5973 and 5975 inert GC/MSDs, the 7500 Series ICP-MS systems, and the new Agilent 6000 Series LC/MS single-quadrupole, triple-quadrupole, ion trap, TOF and Q-TOF instruments. Agilent provides innovative HPLC-Chip/MS technology and the broadest range of ion sources in the industry. As a leader in separations and software, Agilent can address the entire customer workflow from sample introduction through data analysis.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) is the world's premier measurement company and a technology leader in communications, electronics, life sciences and chemical analysis. The company's 20,000 employees serve customers in more than 110 countries. Agilent had net revenue of $5.1 billion in fiscal 2005. Information about Agilent is available on the Web at www.agilent.com.

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