Advion introduces inert Atmospheric Solids Analysis Probe for easy sampling and fast analysis of air-sensitive compounds

Advion, Inc., a leading systems and consumables developer for the life sciences industry, announced today the availability of the inert Atmospheric Solids Analysis Probe, or iASAP, for easy sampling and fast analysis of air-sensitive compounds such as metal catalysts and organometallics. The iASAP inlet is the latest workflow integration and sample introduction technique for the expression CMS, the company’s standout compact mass spectrometer, bringing versatile mass analysis directly to the chemists’ bench. This new ion source, first announced at the American Chemical Society National Meeting last year, is now available for immediate purchase.

Traditional ASAP^® is a well-established technique that provides the synthetic chemist with instant mass analysis of solid and liquid samples with no sample preparation. Professor Ingo Krossing’s group at the Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg recognized the need to extend the use of this technique to air-sensitive compounds such as catalysts and organometallics. They created a modified version of ASAP that they named inert ASAP, or iASAP, that protects the samples in an environment of inert gas as they are transferred to the CMS, preventing contact with the air and subsequent oxidation.

iASAP allows them to use this technique even with highly reactive compounds that cannot be exposed to the air. Air-sensitive catalysts and organometallic compounds can be sampled and analyzed directly from Schlenk lines and glove boxes without risking decomposition.

“Some of our best product enhancement ideas come from our users,” said David Patteson, Advion’s CEO. “Around 20% of all synthetic chemistry involves highly reactive compounds that cannot be exposed to the air. iASAP allows Chemists to sample and analyze these compounds directly from Schlenk lines and glove boxes while protecting sample integrity.”

The technique allows a synthetic chemist to sample with a special probe, without disturbing the inert environment, by simply dipping or swiping the probe across a liquid or solid surface. The sample continues to be protected in inert gas as it is transferred to the ion source of the expression CMS and mass spectra are acquired in just seconds.