Quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometers are robust instruments that can perform tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) while being operated under moderate vacuum conditions. These features make quadrupole ion traps an attractive option as miniature mass spectrometers, particularly because the sensitivity and selectivity gained from employing MS/MS does not decrease with reduced instrument size. Recent developments in scan methodology have allowed quadrupole ion traps to be used to perform two-dimensional MS/MS (2D MS/MS) experiments which identify all precursor ions and their dissociation products. This study describes the implementation of this single scan in a miniature mass spectrometer where sample amount is limited, and time is prioritized. Remarkably, the miniature instrument 2D MS/MS experiment demonstrated greater sensitivity than a benchtop ion trap mass spectrometer utilizing the 2D MS/MS scan. Even more notably, the 2D MS/MS experiment performed using the miniature instrument achieved higher mass resolution than the benchtop instrument in both precursor and product ion dimensions. The miniature instrument's performance was tested on mixtures of drugs of abuse in the presence of a matrix as well as on a mixture of phospholipids.

四极杆离子阱质谱仪是坚固的仪器，可以在中等真空条件下运行时执行串联质谱（MS / MS）。这些功能使四极离子阱成为微型质谱仪的诱人选择，特别是因为采用MS / MS获得的灵敏度和选择性不会随着仪器尺寸的减小而降低。扫描方法学的最新发展已允许使用四极离子阱进行二维MS / MS（2D MS / MS）实验，该实验可识别所有前体离子及其解离产物。这项研究描述了在有限样品量和时间优先的微型质谱仪中进行单次扫描的方法。值得注意的是 微型仪器2D MS / MS实验显示出比使用2D MS / MS扫描的台式离子阱质谱仪更高的灵敏度。更值得注意的是，使用微型仪器进行的2D MS / MS实验在前体和产物离子尺寸方面均比台式仪器更高的质量分辨率。在存在基质的情况下，在滥用药物混合物以及磷脂混合物上测试了微型仪器的性能。