• Qualitative – presence / absence, unknowns, sample comparison
  
  
• Quantitative – targeted compounds by MS/MS for high specificity and sensitivity
  

From pH meters to tandem mass spectrometers and everything in-between, Vogon Labs is a full service laboratory. Well, actually, we have a pH meter and tandem mass spectrometers, and not much in-between. We are not a general testing laboratory, rather a highly specialized lab with sophisticated equipment and a very capable staff.

If you have a difficult analytical problem, contact us and see if we can help:

• identification of unknown compounds
  
• quantitation of target compounds
  
• analyses for compounds which are not routinely analyzed by other labs
  
• confirmation of lab findings by highly specific and extremely sensitive mass spectrometric techniques
  

Specific tests for Naphthenic Acids, Microcystins, Pesticides, Herbicides and environmental contaminants are available. We perform our test for Naphthenic Acids (NAs) by LC-QTOF, which is a highly specific approach that targets the explicit chemical composition of NAs using high resolution mass spectrometry. We provide a total NA value and can also provide a breakdown of specific acids to help you understand the nature of the sample.

Training and Education

• Separation Techniques
  
  
  • Gas Chromatography
    
  • Liquid Chromatography
    
    
• Mass Spectrometry
  
  
  • GC-MS
    
  • LC-MS
    
  • MS/MS Techniques
    
    
• Quantitative and Qualitative Workflows
  
  
  • Streamlined workflows for increased efficiency and effectiveness
    
    
• Solid Phase Extraction
  

Analysts and Technologists are often too busy to attend general or specific training courses and lab managers do not often realize tangible benefits from sending staff to these courses. And yet, quality systems (and common sense) dictate that the lab staff should continue to receive appropriate training to maintain proficiency and learn new skills.

Vogon Labs specializes in providing effective education and training with specialized courses, especially in LC, GC and Mass Spectrometry applications. You can send your staff to our facility or we can come to your site to deliver a customized training package.

Method Development

The staff at Vogon Labs has developed specific analytical methods to meet the needs and requirements of many analytical laboratories located at educational and medical institutes, government and private enterprises. We have many years of experience covering a wide range of analytes (pesticides, environmental and food contaminants, human and veterinary drugs, chemical warfare agents, explosives, and more) in a wide variety of sample matrices (water, soil, food and biological samples).

We realize that method development can be a time consuming and difficult process, and your lab may not have the available chemists on hand or time required. Vogon Labs can provide custom method development and / or validation, performed in our laboratory or yours.

Lab Processes

Vogon Labs can help you identify bottlenecks in your lab processes, and recommend ways to improve efficiency and turnaround time. Whether it is sample handling, instrumental analysis or data processing, we can assist in improving your operations. We specialize in Agilent MassHunter software for processing Mass Spectrometry data.

Troubleshooting

Having trouble with hardware and/or software malfunctions? We can help pinpoint the cause and suggest protocols for trouble free operation and ongoing preventive maintenance to keep your lab systems up and running.

Equipment

Highly sophisticated mass spectrometry instruments are available for qualitative and quantitative analyses of samples, method development and training. It is possible to detect, measure and confirm ultra-trace amounts of known / unknown chemical compounds in a sample using an appropriate separation technique such as gas chromatography (GC) or ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) combined with mass spectrometric detection. Tandem MS analysis provides increased specificity and sensitivity.

Online solid phase extraction (SPE) techniques are available and used to enhance sensitivity and provide automation in sample processing.


LC-QTOF - Agilent model 6540 Liquid Chromatograph Mass Spectrometry system

Several 1290 liquid chromatography modules are combined with a Quadrupole - Time of Flight Mass Spectrometer. This system is capable of providing ‘”exact mass” data to confirm the identity of the molecular formula using high mass resolution and high mass accuracy. Available ion sources such as Agilent Jet Stream, Electrospray, Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization (APCI) and Atmospheric Pressure Photo Ionization (APPI) allow detection of a wide variety of previously known and/or unknown compounds.

LC-QQQ - Agilent model 6460 Liquid Chromatograph Mass Spectrometry system

Several model 1290 and model 1260 liquid chromatograph modules are coupled to a highly selective and sensitive triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. Available ion sources such as Agilent Jet Stream, Electrospray, Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization (APCI) and Atmospheric Pressure Photo Ionization (APPI) allow detection of a wide variety of target compounds at extremely low levels.

GC-QQQ - Agilent model 7000 Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometry system

A 7890A gas chromatograph (with Split/Splitless and Multimode inlets) is coupled to a highly selective and sensitive triple quadrupole mass spectrometer with electron ionization (EI) and chemical ionization sources. This system provides very sensitive and specific detection of volatile and semi-volatile compounds in complex samples.