Table 3.

Comparison, advantages and drawbacks of mass spectrometry (MS) instrumentation

MS technique	Analyzer	Pros	Cons
LRMS(/MS)	QqQ, IT, QLIT	High sensitivity and selectivity in MRM mode Wide linear dynamic range Robust gold standard instrumentation Lower purchase costs	Number of simultaneously detected analytes in MRM mode is limited Poor/moderate sensitivity in full MS mode Need to optimize detection conditions for each analyte Screening without reference standard not usually possible
HRMS(/MS)	TOF, QTOF	High sensitivity and selectivity in full MS mode Postacquisition data interrogation for nontargeted analytes Identification of unknowns is possible	Narrower dynamic range compared with LC–MS(MS/MS) instruments High purchase cost	Lower mass resolving power and mass accuracy compared with Orbitrap systems
	Orbitrap, Q–Orbitrap			Acquisition speed limited at high mass resolving power settings

HRMS high resolution mass spectrometry, LC liquid chromatography, LRMS low-resolution mass spectrometry, MRM multiple-reaction monitoring, QLIT quadrupole–linear ion trap, Q–Orbitrap quadrupole–Orbitrap, QqQ triple quadrupole, TOF time of flight