12
Maintaining the MS on a Daily Basis
After Operating the Mass Spectrometer
Thermo Scientific
TSQ Altis, Quantis, and Fortis Hardware Manual
47
After Operating the Mass Spectrometer
Do these tasks after operating the MS.
•
•
Purging the Oil in the Forepump
•
Emptying the Solvent Waste Container
•
Placing the System in Standby Mode
Flushing the Inlet Components
Flush the syringe and the inlet components (sample transfer line, sample tube, and spray
insert) regularly (or more often if you suspect they are contaminated). You can also use an LC
pump to flush the 50:50 methanol/water solution through the inlet components to the API
source at a flow rate of 200–400 μL/min for approximately 15 minutes.
1. Turn off the liquid flow from the syringe pump.
2. Place the MS in
Standby
mode.
3. Remove the syringe from the syringe pump as follows:
a. Lift the syringe holder off of the syringe.
b. Press the pusher block’s release button and slide the block to the left.
c.
Remove the syringe from the holder.
d. Carefully remove the syringe needle from the Teflon tube on the syringe adapter
assembly.
4. Rinse the syringe with a solution of 50:50 methanol/water.
5. Flush the sample transfer line, sample tube, and spray insert as follows:
a. Load the clean syringe with a solution of 0.1% formic acid in 50:50 methanol/water
(or another appropriate solvent).
b. Carefully reinsert the syringe needle into the Teflon tube on the syringe adapter
assembly.
Tip
You do not need to flush the inlet components daily. However, if a mass spectrum
shows unwanted contamination peaks, follow the procedure.
CAUTION
When the MS’s ion transfer tube is installed, do not flush it with cleaning
solution, which flushes the residue into the MS.
