As part of IBO’s annual Pittcon coverage, we choose the three products at the show that most impressed us in terms of innovation, technical achievement and commercial potential. Each of the products utilizes a new technological approach to provide a new solution for end-users.

Daylight Solutions Spero IR Microscope

IBO’s top Pittcon product pick is the Spero IR microscope from Daylight Solutions. The primary differentiator between the Spero and standard IR microscopes on the market is the IR source. Traditional microscopes use a broadband source, while the Spero makes use of a tunable quantum cascade laser (QCL), a product that forms the core of Daylight Solutions’ business. Compared to broadband sources, QCLs provide a spectral radiance that is many orders of magnitude greater, enabling much faster image acquisition times. The particular laser in the Spero can be tuned to wavelengths of 5.5–11.5 µm, which overlaps the so-called “fingerprint region” of the IR spectrum, which is crucial for chemical identification. While there has been some interest in using QCL illumination for IR microscopy, the Spero appears to be the first complete, integrated microscopy system to make use of the technology.

The use of the tunable laser enables a great deal of flexibility in the use of the microscope. To build up a relatively standard IR chemical image of a sample, the laser is tuned to different frequencies, and a 480 x 480 pixel focal plane array detects the signal, building up a complete hypercube of spectral and imaging information in a matter of a few minutes. However, if the laser is fixed at a particular wavelength, the microscope can provide video frame-rate imagery of the sample, allowing the microscopist to watch real-time events or to easily navigate the sample on the fly to identify locations of interest on the sample for a complete scan, which helps improve workflow in an intuitive fashion. The system’s finest spatial resolution is 1.4 µm, and the system can be operated in both transmission and reflectance modes. The software allows the user a great deal of flexibility in comparing and overlaying the sample’s response from different wavelengths. Shipment of the Spero should begin soon at a price that has not yet been finalized, but is likely to be $200,000–$300,000.

Waters iKey Separation Device

Waters debuted the iKey, a new package for microscale separations, designed to make them accessible to a wider range of end-users. Technical development and innovation are evident in its ability to increase sensitivity and its simplified interface. A turnkey LC/MS/MS solution, the ionKey is a plug-and-play ionization source that integrates the ACQUITY UPLC M-Class system (see page 4) and Xevo TQ-S MS via a module for the Xevo TQ-S. The ionKey employs the iKey microfluidic device that acts as both the column and ion source. The ceramic design allows for robust UPLC performance comparable to 2.1 mm internal diameter (ID) UPLC chromatographic separations. It utilizes a 150 µm ID channel packed with 1.7 µm particles and delivers improvements in sensitivity with decreased solvent usage and lower sample volumes.

The iKey, which is about the size of a large chocolate bar, is self-contained with fluidic connections, electronics, column heater, eCord and electrospray ionization (ESI) interface. It eliminates many of the variables associated with configuring columns and fittings, thus avoiding possible band broadening. The system is being targeted to biomarker validation, drug discovery and development, food and environmental applications. The ionKey/MS module is currently available for around $40,000. Each iKey will cost slightly more than a comparable UPLC column.

AB SCIEX CESI 8000

AB SCIEX presented a new capillary electrophoresis (CE) product designed to improve CE-MS integration, representing a new approach to CE. The first commercialized CESI/MS sprayer, CESI 8000 is an ESI source that integrates CE with high-end MS, which has been difficult in the past.

Intended for the biopharmaceutical market for use in protein analysis or proteomics, a single run of the CESI 8000 as a front end for an MS (connected with a source-specific adapter) provides identity and purity, heterogeneity and stability information. The combination of CE and ESI reduces ion suppression and improves ionization efficiency and sensitivity by utilizing a flow rate of less than 10 nL/min. The separation is contained in a single, 1-D capillary that minimizes dead volume, which can be problematic in nanoscale separations. The open-tube design virtually eliminates the possibility of sample carry over, according to the company.

The CESI 8000 has been optimized with AB SCEIX’s line of MS systems, particularly the TripleTOF 5600, but can be integrated with other vendors’ MS systems. The CESI 8000 is expected to start shipping later this quarter and is priced approximately $125,000.