Freedom to Fragment

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Invigorate your research with proven mass spectrometry solutions

Fragmentation matters and one type is not always enough. Product ion spectra quality can determine whether you make ground-breaking discoveries or get no results at all. The flexibility to use multiple ion-ion interaction techniques can be the experiment breakpoint.

 

For increased identification and characterization of molecules, many experiment types can benefit from alternate fragmentation and ion-ion interactions. Applications, including glycoproteomics, lipidomics, metabolomics, and biologics characterization, benefit from the use of multiple fragmentation and ion manipulation techniques.

 

Thermo Fisher Scientific offers a wide array of fragmentation technologies for optimum coverage to produce high confidence identifications. Achieve your scientific goals with innovative instrumentation that maintains ease-of-use with pre-built template methods.

Mass spectrometers equipped with multiple fragmentation techniques

Orbitrap Ascend Tribrid Mass Spectrometer

Experience the newest, versatile Thermo Scientific Orbitrap Ascend Tribrid MS, with standard HCD and CID fragmentation and optional UVPD, ETD, EThcD, ETciD, and PTCR ion-manipulation techniques.

Orbitrap IQ-X Tribrid Mass Spectrometer

Unravel complex chemical structures with standard fragmentation HCD and CID options on Thermo Scientific Orbitrap IQ-X Tribrid MS. Get richer sequence information for small molecules research with optional UVPD fragmentation.

Orbitrap Excedion Pro Mass Spectrometer

Discover the next generation Hybrid mass spectrometer, with optional ETD and EThcD fragmentation on Thermo Scientific Orbitrap Excedion Pro MS.

Stellar Mass Spectrometer

Get more speed and sensitivity, and options for your quantitative targeted workflows. Exceed with HCD and CID separate standard fragmentation options on the Thermo Scientific Stellar MS.

Solutions fit for your analytical problem

Discover how alternate fragmentation/ion-ion interaction solves multiple analytical problems, from glycoproteomics to the most complex biologics.

Hardware that makes it all possible

Collisional induced dissociation (CID) and higher energy collisional induced dissociation (HCD)

Collisional-based fragmentation techniques are the most common. In the highlighted systems, CID occurs in the high-pressure cell of the dual cell linear ion trap assembly. HCD typically occurs in the ion routing multiple. Common applications include proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics, oligonucleotides, and beyond.

Electron transfer dissociation (ETD)

ETD provides orthogonal fragmentation to collision-based methods and is gentler, thus good for the study of labile compounds. Radical fluoranthene transfers its electron to a cation precursor to induce the reaction. Common applications include glycoproteomics, particularly o-linked and heavily glycosylated peptides, and top-down proteomics.

Proton transfer charge reduction (PTCR)

PTCR is an ion-ion interaction that reduced the average charge of the parent cations, shifting the resulting spectra to higher m/z, simplifying the complex ion populations. This method can be used to make extremely heterogenous ion populations deconvolutable. Common applications include biopharma, including fusion proteins, ADCs, and proteomics, including PTM and top-down proteomics.

Ultraviolet photodissociation (UVPD)

UVPD energizes ions via absorption of high-energy photons, which allows for access to different dissociation pathways than most techniques. At 213 nm, UVPD can produce a, b, c and x, y, z fragment types for proteins/peptides, and allow for unique structural fragments for small molecules and lipids. Common applications are proteins, metabolomics, and lipidomics.

Featured educational resources

Orbitrap Tribrid Mass Spectrometers

Middle-down analysis utilizing proton transfer charge reduction for accurate localization of payload conjugation sites in an antibody-drug conjugate

Decipher glycoproteins using data-independent acquisition-proton transfer charge reduction and native top-down MS

Gas phase affinity selection-native mass spectrometry for automated ligand screening

Monoclonal antibody characterization: Intact mass analysis and middle-down MS with HCD, EThcD, UVPD and PTCR

Transformation site localization of PROTAC drug metabolites by multi-stage fragmentation LC-MS with HCD and CID

Workflow for untargeted plasma lipidomics on Orbitrap MS using HCD and CID intelligent method design

Stellar Mass Spectrometer

Developing a comprehensive metabolites LC-MS library for dietary intervention studies using HCD and CID

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.