Usted AB Sciex TripleTOF 6600

The AB Sciex TripleTOF 6600 is a high-performance hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-TOF) mass spectrometer designed for high-resolution, accurate-mass (HRAM) analysis. It is engineered to deliver exceptional speed, sensitivity, and resolution without compromise, making it a versatile platform for discovery and quantitative applications in proteomics, metabolomics, biopharmaceuticals, and environmental analysis.

Technical Specifications and Core Features

The TripleTOF 6600 system features a high-energy collision cell and a time-of-flight mass analyzer that achieves a resolving power of up to 40,000 FWHM (Full Width at Half Maximum). It operates with a mass range of 5 to 40,000 m/z and delivers mass accuracy typically better than 2 ppm RMS (Root Mean Square) with internal calibration. The system is capable of extremely fast acquisition rates, performing up to 100 MS/MS scans per second in data-dependent acquisition (DDA) mode and up to 200 scans per second in data-independent acquisition (DIA) modes like SWATH® Acquisition. This speed is critical for capturing transient chromatographic peaks in ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) separations.

Key hardware advancements include the IonDrive™ Turbo V Ion Source, which enhances ion production and robustness, and the LINAC® Collision Cell, which provides efficient ion focusing and rapid transmission to reduce cross-talk and improve sensitivity. The system also incorporates a 4-channel Microchannel Plate (MCP) detector with Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) processing, enabling a linear dynamic range of up to five orders of magnitude. This allows for the detection of both high-abundance and trace-level analytes in the same run.

Applications and Workflow

The TripleTOF 6600 is widely used for comprehensive, untargeted analysis. Its flagship application is SWATH® Acquisition, a DIA method that systematically fragments all ions within a defined mass range, creating a complete digital record of the sample. This "digital archiving" allows researchers to retrospectively mine data for new compounds without re-injecting samples, which is invaluable for biomarker discovery and large-scale cohort studies.

In proteomics, the system enables deep proteome coverage for both identification and label-free quantification. In metabolomics and lipidomics, it provides confident compound identification through high-resolution MS/MS spectra and accurate mass measurement. For biopharmaceutical characterization, the system offers the sensitivity and mass range needed for intact protein analysis, host cell protein (HCP) detection, and post-translational modification (PTM) profiling.

The instrument is controlled by SCIEX OS software, which provides an intuitive interface for method setup, data acquisition, and processing. The system's flexibility allows it to be coupled with various front-end separation techniques, including nanoflow, microflow, and high-flow liquid chromatography, as well as capillary electrophoresis (CESI).

In summary, the AB Sciex TripleTOF 6600 is a powerful and productive platform that combines the qualitative power of high-resolution MS with the quantitative capabilities of a triple quadrupole, making it an essential tool for researchers pushing the boundaries of analytical science.