Gas chromatography system GCMS-TQ RX

GCfor the food industryfor research

Overview
The GCMS-TQ RX Series is a triple quadrupole gas chromatograph mass spectrometer designed to deliver reliable, resilient and responsible performance for modern analytical laboratories. It integrates Shimadzu's hardware and software to support routine quantitative MRM/SIM analysis, scan-mode qualitative analysis and combined Scan/MRM workflows.

Key features

• Built to adapt
  Adapts to changing methods, matrices and carrier gas conditions; robust hardware and workflow tools support multipurpose use.
• Multipurpose platform
  Smart MRM+ and the Multi-Mode Injection Unit (MMI) extend application coverage on a single system; supports simultaneous Scan/MRM methods.
• Flexible carrier gas options
  Supports helium, hydrogen and nitrogen; carrier gas saver and optional gas selector reduce helium consumption and enable switching to nitrogen during standby.

Injection flexibility and thermal control

• Multi-Mode Injection Unit (MMI)
  Supports split/splitless (SPL), programmable temperature vaporization (PTV), large-volume injection (LVI), direct injection and thermal desorption/extraction (TD/TE). Dedicated software simplifies method creation and transfer.
• Thermal performance
  Proprietary thermal insulation ensures high temperature stability with rapid heating/cooling, reducing inlet maintenance downtime.
• Thermal desorption (TD)
  MMI supports heating rates up to 1200 °C/min for rapid thermal desorption.

Proven performance

• Ion source options
  Boosted-efficiency EI source for very high sensitivity; Smart EI/CI acquires CI data without source swap; Solvent-Mediated Chemical Ionization (SMCI) enables CI using methanol instead of flammable gases.
• Off-Axis ion optics & detector
  Off-Axis optics reduce neutral noise; selected models (e.g., TQ8050 RX) use a new low-noise robust detector with dual Off-Axis configuration for improved stability.
• Quadrupole with pre-rods
  Mass filter with pre-rods and electric field control minimizes contamination and reduces maintenance.
• Long-life filament
  New filament design provides service life >5× conventional filaments, reducing unexpected downtime.

Workflow and software

• Smart MRM+
  Flexible adjustment of acquisition time windows prevents missed detections from retention time shifts; event times adjustable per compound; facilitates adding/removing compounds.
• Simultaneous Scan/MRM
  Combined quantitative and qualitative workflows with sufficient transitions for high-speed analysis and high-quality scan data during MRM acquisition.
• LabSolutions software family
  LabSolutions GCMS and LabSolutions Insight integrate acquisition, data analysis, targeted MRM evaluation and non-target scan data exploration; Peakintelligence for GCMS offers AI-based automatic peak integration.

Sustainability and safety

• Helium-saving strategies
  Carrier gas saver function and optional gas selector reduce helium use; enables switching to nitrogen during standby.
• Alternative carrier gases
  Hydrogen and nitrogen supported with stable measurements via advanced flow control; optional hydrogen sensor for safe hydrogen operation.
• Energy and waste reduction
  Ecology mode reduces power consumption; optional oil-free roughing pump reduces oil waste.

Maintenance and chromatography options

• Maintenance features
  ClickTek™ nut for tool-free inlet maintenance; Easy sTop allows septum and glass insert replacement without stopping vacuum; vacuum ON/OFF controllable from GC panel.
• Twin Line MS system
  Simultaneous connection of two columns to MS enables application-specific acquisition without stopping vacuum and without restrictor tubing.
• Backflush, detector splitting and heart-cut
  Backflush shortens analysis time by removing un-eluted components; detector splitting enables multiple chromatograms from one run; heart-cut allows selective transfer to a second column for extra separation.

Application highlights
Supports simultaneous multicomponent MRM analyses (example: simultaneous analysis of 439 pesticide compounds at 5 pg/µL each) and a range of validated application notes for pesticide residues, PFAS and demanding routine workflows.

Technical specifications

• Product type: Triple quadrupole gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (series).
• Model/series name: GCMS-TQ RX Series.
• Injection modes (MMI): SPL, splitless, PTV, LVI, direct injection, TD/TE.
• MMI max heating rate (TD): up to 1200 °C/min.
• Ion sources: Boosted-efficiency EI; Smart EI/CI; SMCI (methanol).
• Typical sensitivity: attogram-order detection claimed for high-sensitivity configurations.
• Ion optics: Off-Axis ion optics; dual Off-Axis with new detector on selected models.
• Quadrupole: Mass filter with pre-rods and electric field control.
• Filament life: >5× conventional filaments.
• Acquisition modes: MRM, SIM, Scan; Smart MRM+ and simultaneous Scan/MRM.
• Software: LabSolutions GCMS, LabSolutions Insight, Peakintelligence for GCMS.
• Carrier gases: Helium, Hydrogen, Nitrogen; gas saver and optional gas selector.
• Sustainability: Ecology mode; optional oil-free roughing pump.
• Maintenance: ClickTek nut; Easy sTop; GC touch-panel controls.
• Example capability: Simultaneous analysis example shown for 439 pesticide compounds at 5 pg/µL each.