Data acquisition rate is an essential component to achieving accurate and precise chromatographic results. A data acquisition rate that is too slow of a speed often leads to loss of sensitivity, precision, and accuracy while an acquisition speed that is too fast may cause excessive noise and decreased sensitivity. In this article, we discuss how to select the ideal MS data acquisition rate to achieve optimal integration and reliably calculate peak areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The foundation for quantitative chromatography is the relationship between peak area and compound concentration. The ability to define the shape of the peak is the cornerstone for reliably calculating peak area, but there are method parameters that can hamper our ability to get a well-defined peak, undermining our ability to achieve accurate and precise results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To avoid poorly defined peaks, it is important to make sure your mass spectrometer\u2019s data acquisition rate is matched to chromatographic performance. By comparing the width of the chromatographic peak with the MS data acquisition rate, you can verify that a sufficient amount of data is being collected to accurately define the shape of the chromatographic peak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to the shape of the peak itself, data acquisition rates can affect how well the mass spectrometer is able to accurately determine the spectral composition of a given peak, which can affect your ability to properly identify a compound. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this article, we\u2019ll explore examples of deformed peak shapes and skewed mass spectra caused by improperly set data acquisition rates and discuss how to correct data acquisition issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since most mass spectrometers coupled to chromatographs rely on quadrupole mass analyzers (single or triple quad), we\u2019ll use a single-quad MS for this example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s consider a data acquisition rate that is too slow as our first example. In this case, the MS is reporting data twice every second, or at 2 Hz (Figure 1).<\/p>\n\n\n