21:23, 22 February 2026

Russia Unveils First Tandem Triple-Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer for Liquid Chromatography

The instrument has passed state acceptance tests, with a pilot production run planned for 2026–2027.

Russia has developed its first tandem triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer designed for liquid chromatography. The instrument completed state acceptance trials at the end of 2025, and a pilot batch is scheduled for release in 2026–2027.

IT Meets Chemistry

Project lead Alexei Sysoev, a professor at National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, confirmed the successful completion of testing.

“Yes, the state acceptance trials of the tandem triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer have been successfully completed. As a result of the experimental development work, the documentation we prepared has been assigned the ‘O1’ designation, which formally confirms the product’s readiness for production,” Sysoev said.

The instrument’s IT architecture is based on a distributed design. Each electronic module is controlled by its own microcontroller, while a central control module coordinates their operation.

“In our mass spectrometer, synchronization of all electronic modules, each managed by its own microcontroller, is handled by the main control module. It runs a real-time operating system that serves as an intermediary between the external user software on a computer and the mass spectrometer’s functional components,” Sysoev explained.

The system uses programmable logic chips, requiring specialized expertise in FPGA programming. The project team includes specialists in embedded systems, as well as digital and analog electronics.

Digital Analytics and Precision Control

The device operates in tandem with a liquid chromatograph. It uses electrospray ionization and collision-induced dissociation of precursor ions.

“We developed a tandem triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer with electrospray ionization and collision-induced dissociation of precursor ions,” Sysoev noted.

The method enables analysis of non-volatile compounds and provides data on molecular ions and their fragments. Managing these processes requires precise synchronization of the vacuum system, radio-frequency units and detectors.

Applications in Environment, Chemistry and Forensics

Alexei Buryak, director of the Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, emphasized the practical value of the technology.

“Chromatography–mass spectrometry, which allows detection of trace concentrations of substances and identification of formulas of unknown compounds, is indispensable, for example, in environmental research,” Buryak said.

According to him, the method is particularly important in analyzing water and soil contamination, where toxic substances can rapidly transform.

The pilot production run is expected to generate feedback from laboratories and prepare the instrument for full-scale manufacturing.

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