RADAR and PICS Compendium

Importance of Topic

Modern analytical challenges in chemistry span diverse fields—from chiral separations of crop protection agents and trace‐level screening of toxicants in food and environment to rapid forensic toxicology and bioanalysis of therapeutics. High sensitivity, selectivity, and speed are critical for regulatory compliance, safety assessments, and process development.

Study Goals and Article Overview

This compendium presents multiple case studies using Waters® UPLC® and UPC2® systems coupled to Xevo™ tandem quadrupole mass spectrometers and the ASAP® probe. It highlights approaches for: chiral enantioanalysis of fungicides; nitrosamine screening in tobacco; mycotoxin multi‐residue analysis in feedstuffs; residue analysis in food; non‐targeted forensic toxicology screening; quantitation of glucocorticoid residues; 2D LC/MRM quantitation of monoclonal antibody digests; and rapid detection of genotoxic impurities in pharmaceuticals.

Methodology and Instrumentation

All studies exploit sub‐2 µm UPLC or UPC2 chromatography, multiple reaction monitoring (MRM), and advanced acquisition modes such as RADAR™ for simultaneous full‐scan and MRM data, and PIC® for in‐run product‐ion confirmation. Samples were prepared via QuEChERS, SPE, protein digestion, or direct ASAP analysis. Instruments include the ACQUITY UPC2, UPLC H-Class and I-Class Systems, Xevo TQD, TQ-S, TQ-S micro, and the ASAP probe.

Main Results and Discussion

Chiral UPC2 achieved sub-4 min enantioresolution of triazole fungicides at ppt levels. UPLC-MS/MS quantified tobacco-specific nitrosamines at low ng/L with 10× dilution workflows. Multi-residue mycotoxin assays in feed attained ppb detection with simple dilution, while complex food matrices were profiled down to 10 ppb pesticide residues. Forensic screening workflows detected over 950 substances in single runs, combining targeted and non-targeted approaches. UPLC-MS/MS met MRLs for dexamethasone in milk and liver down to sub-ppb levels. 2D RP/RP LC/MRM improved mAb peptide quantitation sensitivity three-fold over 1D LC. The ASAP probe enabled sub-TTC detection of genotoxins in tablets with in-run confirmation.

Benefits and Practical Applications

These methodologies deliver enhanced throughput, robust quantitation, greater confidence through simultaneous qualitative data, reduced sample prep, and improved matrix resilience—supporting QA/QC, safety testing, and drug development.

Future Trends and Potential Applications

Integrating orthogonal separations, real-time matrix monitoring, AI-guided method development, expanding spectral libraries, and automating workflows will further accelerate analytical capabilities across industries.

Conclusion

Advanced UPLC/UPC2‐MS techniques, combined with innovative acquisition modes and streamlined sample handling, provide comprehensive, rapid, and reliable analyses to address modern challenges in analytical chemistry.

References

Selected publications and Waters application notes as cited in each section of the compendium.

Used Instrumentation

ACQUITY UPC2 System; ACQUITY UPLC H-Class and I-Class Systems; BEH C18 and chiral UPC2 columns; Xevo TQD, TQ-S, and TQ-S micro; ASAP Probe; Oasis SPE and DisQuE products; MassLynx Software with TargetLynx and ChromaLynx.