TraceFinder 4.1

[michelle.sims]

I am a research student working with a Q Exactive™ Hybrid Quadrupole-Orbitrap™ Mass Spectrometer with TraceFinder 4.1 software. I can't figure out the software. I am trying to perform a run similar to quadruple MRM. I can get my parent mass to show up fine, but I can't see any fragmentation. I assume its a setting that I have wrong but I have no idea what to fix. I have tried Full Scan, PRM, and targeted SIM. Can anyone help me learn to navigate this software? Its brand new in my lab and no one knows how to work it much.

[James_Ball]

I am a research student working with a Q Exactive™ Hybrid Quadrupole-Orbitrap™ Mass Spectrometer with TraceFinder 4.1 software. I can't figure out the software. I am trying to perform a run similar to quadruple MRM. I can get my parent mass to show up fine, but I can't see any fragmentation. I assume its a setting that I have wrong but I have no idea what to fix. I have tried Full Scan, PRM, and targeted SIM. Can anyone help me learn to navigate this software? Its brand new in my lab and no one knows how to work it much.

I haven't used a Thermo MS or the software, but since you can see the parent, have you made sure you have the collision gas at adequate supply pressure and proper flow rate? That and collision energy are required for fragmentation to occur.

[Or Not]

I think if you want to isolate and fragment a particular precursor mass that you need to run it in PRM mode, and put the precursor mass in your inclusion list in the instrument method? Is this a data acquisition problem or getting the data to show up in TraceFinder? Did you look at the raw data file in the either the Qual Browser or Freestyle? We analyze pesticides using various acquisition modes on our Q-Exactive, so we may be able to help if you're still having trouble.