Expiration of tuning solution when installed on the instrument?

Hi Bryan_U ,

There is no official data for stability at room temperature, as this can fluctuate from one laboratory to the next.

That said, for TQ (excluding the Ultivo), I know of customers who have left the tuning solution on the MS for a week to even multiple weeks without any issues, but again, this will depend on the temperature of the laboratory.

For the Ultivo and the iQ MS, it is recommended to perform the autotune and then store the tuning solution in the refrigerator. This is because the tuning solution is located above the turbo pump which generates a lot of heat, causing the solution to degrade faster.

I hope this answers your question.

Regards,

Hi Philippe,

Thanks for the quick reply. When removing the tuning solution from the instrument, is there any recommendation on what to put in its place. Should I use an empty bottle, or one containing a particular solvent such as Acetonitrile?

Hi Bryan_U ,

If you have another glass tuning bottle that came with your TQ, you can use this to avoid dust sticking to the tubing.

Regards,

You would leave the other bottle on the instrument dry? That wouldn't cause any issues?

If the tuning solution were on the instrument for an extended period, is there any sign to indicate that it has or might be going bad? Would the first sign be failed check/autotune, or is it possible to end up having the Autotune pass with bad tuning solution resulting in problems later on when running samples?

Hi Bryan_U ,

If you do not perform any checktune or autotune with the empty bottle, this will not generate any issues as the valve will not turn ''on'' unless you turn on the calibrant solution. If you want to fill your second bottle with Acetonitrile, you can as the tuning solution diluent is Acetonitrile.

If the tuning solution were to degrade, you will start to see other peaks in MS2 scan in the tuning solution, some masses will go down (322m/z, 622m/z, etc) and in turn this will cause the autotune to fail. If the autotune pass, less likely that the solution that started to degrade will give a negative outcome.

I hope this answers your question.

Regards,

Hi Philippe,

Yes, this does answer my question. It's good to know that an old tuning solution can not result in a passing autotune that negatively impact analysis.

Thank you,