SELECT SERIES MRT MALDI Source Cleaning Guide
Required materials:
- Chemical-resistant, powder-free gloves
- Cotton swabs
- Methanol (MeOH)
- Acetonitrile (ACN)
- Iso Propyl Alcohol (IPA)
- Sonicator
WARNING: To avoid personal contamination with biologically hazardous, toxic, and corrosive materials, wear chemical-resistant, powder-free gloves when performing this procedure.
NOTE: Careful selection of solvents is recommended so no damage to the optical coating occurs. Suitable solvents include MeOH, ACN and IPA.
During MALDI operation the ablated matrix coats the source region causing degradation in performance of both the ion optics and the laser optical components. Failure to clean these components will lead to a loss in performance and in the case of the laser optical components irreparable damage may occur.
It is recommended that after a maximum operational period of 10 hours, or as necessary depending on the experiment being performed, the hexapole is removed and sonicated in an appropriate solvent (i.e. a solvent that will dissolve the matrix being used).
| Removing the Hexapole | Optical component layout |
Whilst the hexapole is being cleaned, cleaning of the lazer optical components is recommended. Using a cotton swab soaked in an appropriate solvent (i.e. a solvent that will dissolve the matrix being used) clean the laser mirror, lazer window, camera mirror and camera window (shown below).
| Cleaning the LASER mirror | Cleaning the LASER window |
Close inspection of the laser mirror and window is recommended at regular intervals. Any marks or burns must be removed before continuing. Failure to do this will result in irreparable damage and the mirror or window will require replacing (window replacement will require a service call).
The camera optics will also require cleaning however no damage of the optics will occur, the image will become fogged over time.
If the laser energy required to complete a routine analysis (of say 500 fm/µl GFP) increases significantly from normal this indicates contamination of the optical components and cleaning and or inspection of these components is recommended.