About Shimadzu

Shimadzu has released the compact LCMS-2020 liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer* and compatible, easy-to-use LCMSsolution Ver. 5 workstation software. This system offers faster measurements and higher detection sensitivity for quicker and more accurate detection of trace impurities contained in pharmaceuticals and environmental pollutants, such as PFOS/PFOA**, about which there are concerns of accumulation in biological organisms since they don’t break down naturally.
*PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate) and PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) are types of organic fluorine compounds widely used for water-repellency treatment. Since these compounds are stable and do not break down in nature, residues remaining in the environment and biological organisms (including humans) have become a problem, making these compounds subject to international regulation.

**LCMS (liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer) systems analyze substances by using a liquid chromatograph to separate components, which are ionized and injected into a mass spectrometer, where constituents are separated by mass and detected. This technique is especially useful for identifying substances and is used widely in many fields, ranging from pharmaceuticals and life sciences to environmental analysis.

As consumers become more concerned with health and safety, it is increasingly necessary to accurately separate, detect, and assess ever-smaller trace quantities of impurities contained in items such as pharmaceuticals and food additives, environmental pollutants, and other substances. For example, with the trend toward using generic drugs to control medical expenses, there are requests for strict analysis to ensure generics contain equivalent levels of effective ingredients and impurities as present in the original drugs. In addition, there is progress toward international measures to regulate the use of substances such as PFOS and PFOA, which are used widely as additives in industrial products. Given this situation, the number of samples to be measured has increased significantly and there is a need for faster and more efficient methods of analysis.

In response, Shimadzu has developed and been offering the Prominence line of high performance liquid chromatographs and the UFLC/UFLC-XR line of ultra-fast liquid chromatographs designed for the pharmaceutical and chemical fields. By combining a Prominence system with the new LCMS-2020 spectrometer, high performance and ultra fast liquid chromatography can be achieved while increasing measurement speed by 5 times and detection sensitivity by 3 times* over our previous product (LCMS-2010EV).

* For substances most commonly measured with LCMS, with molecular weight of about 500. Five times or more for molecular weights of 1000 or more.

In addition to increased measurement speed and sensitivity, the new design allows easily replacing the ionization unit at the inlet to the MS unit from the LC unit. Also, the system is only 35 cm wide and is about 23% more compact than previous models. Furthermore, the LCMSsolution Ver. 5 workstation software is easy to use. It allows easy comparison between multiple sets of LC or MS data and is full of features that maximize functionality, such as confirming impurities, to increase laboratory productivity. By offering new products that significantly improve ease-of-use and productivity for users in the pharmaceutical manufacturing and synthesis fields, which increasingly demand faster analysis and more sensitivity, as well as for measuring impurities and other applications, Shimadzu aims to have the top market share in the LCMS market, which is experiencing an annual growth rate of about 9%.

New Product Overview

Name: LCMS-2020 Liquid Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer

Detailed Features of New Product

1. Capable of Ultra Fast Analysis
UFscanning technology (patent pending) is used to achieve a mass spectrum measurement speed of 15,000 u/sec, the fastest in its class (as of September 1, 2008), without sacrificing sensitivity or resolution. UFswitching technology (patent pending) allows switching between positive and negative ion modes in 15 milliseconds, the fastest in its class (as of September 1, 2008). Measuring unknown substances requires measuring in both positive and negative ion modes, because it is unknown whether the target substances can be detected with a positive or negative ion. Since the positive ion/negative ion polarity switching speed of previous systems was slow, ultra-fast analysis required injecting samples twice for separate measurements in the positive ion and negative ion modes. UFswitching technology allows measuring samples in both the positive and negative detection mode with only one sample injection, even for ultra-fast analysis, increasing productivity. This allows taking full advantage of the Prominence UFLC or UFLC-XR system’s ultra-fast analysis capabilities, which require only 10 seconds for injecting samples, to experience significant increases in productivity.

2. Even Higher Sensitivity
Generated ions are efficiently transported to the mass spectrometer detector, where Shimadzu uses patented Q-arrayÒ technology to achieve high sensitivity. To increase sensitivity even further, the new LCMS-2020 system has a redesigned ion transfer section that includes Q-arrayÒ. This triples the sensitivity for substances most commonly measured with LCMS, with molecular weight of about 500. Furthermore, for molecular weights above 1000, where it is more difficult to obtain detection sensitivity, this increases sensitivity by more than 5 times.

3. Easy to Operate
(1) Easy Replacement of Ionization Methods
The ESI method typically used for LCMS can be replaced with APCI, which is suitable for neutral compounds, or DUIS for overlaying either ionization mode, quickly and without tools. In addition, selection of the DUIS ionization mode (ESI or APCI) can be performed via the computer.
(2) Easy Instrument Maintenance
The desolvation line, where the ions enter the MS unit, can be replaced without breaking the vacuum.
(3) Full Featured LCMSsolution Ver. 5 Workstation
This software includes an improved data browser function to help qualitative processing of multiple sets of data. This data browser allows comparing multiple sets of data or confirming impurities by linking to LC or MS data, which is especially helpful for users in fields where compounds are synthesized, such as pharmaceuticals and chemical products.

4. Compact
The new LCMS-2020 is only 35 cm wide, which is 23% smaller than the previous model at 45 cm.

Shimadzu offers LCMS-IT-TOF mass spectrometer systems for accurately predicting the structure of ultra-trace impurities detected by screening. Releasing the new LCMS-2020 system means Shimadzu now offers a total solution ranging from ultra-fast separation of large numbers of samples to accurate prediction of chemical structures.