LC-Orbitrap MS Workflow for Targeted and Non-Targeted Analysis of over 40,000 PFAS Compounds in Environmental and Food Contact Material Samples

The PFAS global research and testing community are now being asked to fully characterize PFAS in samples. Targeted analysis relies on a limited number of available reference standards, however it is well known that thousands of PFAS compounds and transformation products exist in the environment. To support laboratories, Thermo Fisher Scientific has worked with collaborators to develop a novel workflow to provide a better understanding of the diversity of PFAS contamination in samples, and at the same time provide meaningful targeted quantitative results in a variety of matrices.

In this webinar, our experts will show a simultaneous targeted quantitative and non-targeted analysis method, with quantitative results down to part-per-trillion levels, for a 250 mL water sample prepared by EPA 1633 protocols. Additionally, non-targeted data is presented for food contact materials and diluted AFFF sample matrices to demonstrate the applicability of the method to solid samples.

Attendees will learn:

• Why high resolution and accurate mass (HRAM) with LC-Orbitrap instrumentation is a key advantage when trying to precisely describe PFAS components in a sample.
• How Thermo Scientific™ Compound Discoverer™ software with a built-in pre-configured PFAS workflow makes it easy to filter for PFAS candidates, and then make identifications based upon extensive compound libraries, fragment databases, and other tools providing a multifaceted approach to exploring unknown PFAS.
• How the same HRAM platform provides a solution to both quantify known PFAS and explore unknown PFAS with confidence and convenience, greatly expanding our understanding of this global health and safety concern.

Presenter: Cynthia Grim, M.S. (Product Applications Specialist III, Thermo Fisher Scientific)

Cynthia Grim, M.S. is a Product Applications Specialist III in the Environmental and Food Safety Vertical Marketing team. Her previous experience includes secondary metabolite structure elucidation, pharmaceutical drug safety, and environmental testing. Now, her work revolves around developing novel sample preparation and instrument methods for PFAS analysis to prepare for new frontiers in environmental testing across matrix types.

Presenter: Richard Cochran, PhD (Senior Application Scientist for LSMS, Thermo Fisher Scientific)

Richard Cochran is a Senior Application Scientist for LSMS at Thermo Fisher Scientific, with over 15 years of experience in mass spectrometry, with strong expertise in high resolution mass spectrometry and untargeted analysis. Richard received is PhD in Analytical Chemistry from the University of North Dakota. Prior to joining Thermo Fisher Scientific, Richard was a senior principal investigator within the Center for Aerosol Impacts on Chemistry of the Environment (CAICE, a National Science Foundation Center of Innovation) and served as the director of the Environmental and Complex Analysis Laboratory at the University of California San Diego. Throughout his career he has published more than 20 scientific publications in the area of mass spectrometry, altogether having more than 1,000 citations.

Presenter: Ed George (Vertical Marketing Manager, Thermo Fisher Scientific)

Ed George has a BS in Chemistry from the University of Notre Dame with concentration in Environmental Science. He worked for 15 years in the environmental laboratory industry, holding positions of Lab Technician, Lab Manager, and R&D Manager, responsible for developing novel sample preparation and analytical methods in soil and water on GC/MS/MS and LC/MS/MS platforms. He participated in several collaborative method development projects with the USEPA. In 2014, he joined Thermo Fisher Scientific and is currently a Senior Applications Scientist. He has worked closely with key collaborators on food safety and environmental projects in universities and industry and has recently developed workflow applications for pesticide and veterinary drug residues in food on both LC/MS/MS and high-resolution MS platforms.