IBO Top Product Picks for Pittcon 2001.

From the hundreds or more new analytical instruments, accessories and consumables introduced each year at Pittcon, IBO selects the products it believes to be the most significant and exciting. This year, IBO has chosen five products it views as the most important in terms of potential impact on the market, technological innovation and end-user appeal. IBO has chosen the Dionex DX-600/AQA IC/MS System, TA Instruments' Q Series Differential Scanning Calorimeters, ZirChrom's DiamondBond HPLC Columns, the Micromass Quattro micro Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer, and the Thermo Finnigan TSQ Quantum Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer.

Above all, each of these products can genuinely be called new. They are products to which the marketplace and competitors will have to respond. Although the Dionex product is a combination of two existing products, it is a new system with valuable new applications, and the first of its kind. Both the ZirChrom column and TA Instruments DSC line are completely new approaches that refine the potential of the technologies.

The inclusion of two triple quad mass spectrometry systems on the list is indicative of the technological achievements in mass spectrometry technology and the number of new and improved MS systems on display at the show. While the two systems can be compared and contrasted, they are notable for both their similarities as well as their differences. Together, the systems declare the end of the floor model MS and set new standards for sensitivity and resolution; i.e., they are state-of-the-art. Yet each system employs the two companies' trademark technologies, creating different system that provide a competitive selection.

Dionex DX-600/AQA IC/MS System

One of the products of Dionex and Thermo Electron's partnership (formally announced last year at Pittcon), the DX-600/AQA is the first and, currently, the only integrated IC/ MS system on the market. This combination is advantageous for quantification of trace contaminants in environmental applications when other chemical and chemical species make detection difficult, such as wastewater analysis. In addition, Dionex' Chromeleon MS software enables unique data system integration

Dionex' DX-600 is a high performance IC from the market leading IC company. It is a robust, versatile system and easy to use. Thermo Finigan's AQA mass spectrometer detector features electrospray and atmospheric chemical ionization sources as well as anion and cation analyses. Thermo Finnigan's detector and benchtop quadrupole mass spec are both highly regarded instruments within the mass spec field. The integration of these company's products, reputations and technologies position the DX-600/AQA as a top quality instrument as well as the next step in IC. In addition, its capabilities are perfectly suited for the environmental testing market.

TA Instruments Q Series Differential Scanning Calorimeters

The newest line of differential scanning calorimeters (DSC) from TA Instruments, the Q1000, Q100 and Q10, represent the latest evolution of DSC technology. This product line is intended to replace the company's 2900 series. In order to provide greater accuracy, reliability, and automation, TA instruments fundamentally redesigned their DSCs, employing new technology and features. This new generation employs Tzero sensor technology, which provides improved peak resolution, better sensitivity and accuracy, and faster results. The DSCs also feature new software that is shared with TA Instrument's newest line of thermal analyzers.

ZirChrom DiamondBond HPLC Columns

ZirChrom has introduced an entirely new family of HPLC columns, starting with the C-18 column, which is a significant leap forwards in column chemistry. Being marketed under the name of DiamondBond, these new columns are based on carbon coated zirconia particle chemistry, which was developed in conjunction with Cabot, which is a leading specialty chemistry company.

The advantage of using carbon coated zirconia particles as the packing material is that it provides for extremely strong and therefore stable bonds formed between the carbon and the functional chemical groups. This results in a column which is stable through all pH ranges, as well as up to nearly 2000C. This stability range allows for use of high temperature and high pH in much more difficult separations.

The DiamondBond columns significantly surpass traditional silica based HPLC column packings because silica bonding isn't nearly as strong as carbon, and therefore silica based chemistries are typically only stable up to 600C, and within a range of 2 to 8 pH. Efficiency in both DiamondBond columns and silica-based columns is approximately equivalent.

This new line of carbon coated zirconia based columns will extend HPLC capabilities, rather than replace silica based columns, since the DiamondBond columns will be priced at a premium over traditional columns.

Micromass Quattro micro

Micromass has outdone itself with the introduction of this compact triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. This new triple quad is a third of the footprint of a typical instrument, and only takes up 15 3/8 inches (390mm) of linear bench space--the smallest of any triple quad. The compactness and advanced technology of the Quattro micro redefines what a triple quad will look like from now on. It features a hexapole in place of a quadrupole collision cell, the Z Spray atmospheric pressure ionization inlet, enhanced automation, and Mass Lynx software. Micromass claims the Quattro micro is "smaller, smarter, and wired". It is designed for the novice user to develop and master demanding quantitative LC-MS-MS ADME/PK assays.

Thermo Finnigan TSQ Quantum Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer

The TSQ Quantum wraps advanced, state-of-the-art technology in a small package (55 x 56 x 79 cm). This latest generation of triple quad MS is much more compact than its predecessors, offering a true difference that creates more room in the lab and redefines the standard for this type of instrument. As for the technology, the TSQ Quantum is an advance in resolution, sensitivity, resolution and quantitation. The unit features the HyperQuad quadruople hyperbolic rod structure and a 90 degree collision cell with square cell quadrupole technology that increases the signal-to-noise ratio.

In terms of size and performance, this new compact TSQ will be a direct competitor to the Quattro micro. Both units should offer a strong challenge to the industry-leading MDS Sciex API 2000.