News from LabRulezLCMS Library - Week 45, 2026

Our Library never stops expanding. What are the most recent contributions to LabRulezLCMS Library in the week of 2nd November 2026? Check out new documents from the field of liquid phase, especially HPLC and LC/MS techniques!

👉 SEARCH THE LARGEST REPOSITORY OF DOCUMENTS ABOUT LCMS AND RELATED TECHNIQUES

👉 Need info about different analytical techniques? Peek into LabRulezGCMS or LabRulezICPMS libraries.

1. Agilent Technologies: Automated Workflow for Peptide Mapping of Pembrolizumab on the Agilent 6545XT AdvanceBio LC/Q-TOF

• Application note
• Full PDF for download

2. Shimadzu: Quantitative Analysis of Selected Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Cosmetic Products by LC-MS/MS

• Application note
• Full PDF for download

User benefits

• Accurate quantification of multiple PFAS in complex cosmetic matrices is possible using LC-MS/MS with internal-standard calibration. 
• QuEChERS extraction combined with SPE cleanup provides effective matrix removal, enabling reliable PFAS analysis in diverse cosmetic products. 
• The PFAS-targeted method can be expanded to include additional PFAS compounds as analytical requirements evolve.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a diverse group of synthetic chemicals that have been intentionally used in certain cosmetic products because of their unique physicochemical properties and functional characteristics, including water and oil resistance, conditioning, and film formation¹. These properties can contribute to the performance and sensory characteristics of cosmetic products. However, concerns regarding the persistence and potential environmental and health impacts of certain PFAS have increased the need for reliable analytical methods to identify and quantify these compounds in cosmetic products². This Application News presents a workflow for the quantitative analysis of selected PFAS in cosmetic products using Shimadzu’s LCMS-8060RX triple quadrupole mass spectrometer coupled with the Nexera LC-40 ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography system (Fig. 1).

Conclusion

The developed workflow provides a simple and effective approach for the extraction and quantitative analysis of PFAS in cosmetic products. The QuEChERS-based extraction combined with SPE cleanup provides effective matrix reduction, although it does not eliminate matrix-related effects. The cleanup helps minimize matrix components that can contribute to ion suppression and contamination of the LC-MS/MS ion source. The use of PFAS-free materials throughout the analytical workflow further minimizes the risk of background contamination. Combined with the high sensitivity of the LCMS-8060 RX, the developed workflow demonstrated good analytical performance for the targeted PFAS compounds in cosmetic matrices. The developed sample preparation protocol can be extended to HRMS platforms such as the LCMS-9050 for non-targeted PFAS analysis, enabling the screening and identification of a broader range of PFAS beyond the targeted compounds evaluated in this study.

3. Thermo Fisher Scientific: Out-of-the-box workflow for PFAS quantitation using a triple quadrupole approach with the TSQ Altis Plus mass spectrometer

• Application note
• Full PDF for download

Application benefits 

• Quantitation of a large panel of 61 PFAS compounds with performance and robustness proved with the applied analytical strategy.
• Designed to comply with current European regulations (0.1 µg/L sum of 20 PFAS; 0.5 µg/L total PFAS), and with many local regulations.
• The sensitivity of our method is compatible with major sample preparation techniques, including solid phase extraction (SPE). Limits of Quantification (LOQs) are achieved in solvent ranges from 50 ng/L for over 80% of targets to 500 ng/L for fewer than 5% of targets. Corresponding LOQs in matrices range from 0.1 ng/L to 1 ng/L with 500-fold concentration.
• Challenging PFAS (FTOH, FTAB) on the same method with a single HPLC separation.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large group of synthetic chemicals known for their resistance to heat, water, and oil. Due to these properties, PFAS have been widely used in various industrial and consumer products. However, PFAS are often referred to as "forever chemicals" because they do not break down easily and can accumulate in the environment and in human and animal tissues over time. This persistence, along with their widespread use, has led to extensive environmental contamination, particularly in water sources.¹ As a result, analyzing PFAS in different matrices, especially drinking water, has become increasingly important. Analyzing PFAS is critical for understanding their distribution, concentration, and potential risks to human health and the environment.² To address these health risks, various governmental regulatory agencies have established validated methods to quantify individual or collective PFAS levels in drinking water. 

Regulatory framework in Europe 

In Europe, the main regulation governing drinking water quality is the Drinking Water Directive (2020/2184/EU), which sets two thresholds for PFAS: 

• 0.1 µg/L for the sum of a group of 20 PFAS 
• 0.5 µg/L for the totality of PFAS³ 

Some countries, such as Denmark and Italy, test additional compounds. In the United Kingdom, the testing is based on tiered results with different countermeasures depending on PFAS concentrations (Tier 1: <0.01 µg/L, Tier 2: 0.01 µg/L – 0.1 µg/L, Tier 3: >0.1 µg/L). Additionally, several European countries have established limits for the sum of four PFAS compounds to which the population has been most exposed: PFOA, PFNA, PFHxS, and PFOS.⁴

Analytical approach and methodology 

Liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry provides high sensitivity and specificity for detecting a wide range of PFAS compounds. In previous work, we demonstrated the ability to meet regulatory requirements for PFAS analysis using large volume injection and high-end triple quadrupole technology for drinking water analysis.⁶ Nevertheless, other types of water need sample preparation, which is often critical, to concentrate PFAS from large volumes and to remove potential interferences. We have previously demonstrated the capabilities of an automated dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) procedure using a Thermo Scientific™ TriPlus™ RSH SMART autosampler for the extraction and analysis of PFAS in drinking water.⁷ The DLLME protocol offers advantages such as automation and the use of small sample and reagent volumes. However, the most common approach for PFAS extraction and pre-concentration is based on solid phase extraction (SPE)^8,9 and is compatible with our method.

Experimental 

Instrument configuration and method 

A Thermo Scientific™ Vanquish™ Flex Binary UHPLC pump with a Thermo Scientific™ Vanquish™ Duo Autosampler is used, coupled to a TSQ Altis Plus triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. The gradient uses a combination of water and methanol as the mobile phases. The hardware configuration schematics can be seen in Figure 1 and Table 1. A single combination of delay column/ analytical column is used here. The second channel is kept for flexibility for additional or complementary applications. Table 2 recaps the main instrument parameters.

Conclusions 

Our method offers significant advantages for PFAS analysis, ensuring accurate, reliable, and compliant results. The major customer benefit is that we provide a ready-to-go solution, already optimized to meet regulatory limits in terms of performance, designed to comply with regulatory criteria, fully tested for robustness, applicable to any environmental sample type, and extremely easy to handle with a user-optimized interface. 

• Accurate PFAS quantitation: The method enables the precise quantitation of a broad range of PFAS compounds using the targeted approach of the TSQ Altis Plus mass spectrometer, demonstrating high sensitivity, selectivity, and robustness. 
• Well-established configuration: The TSQ Altis Plus configuration is well-established and widely used, ensuring reliability and familiarity. 
• Regulatory compliance: Designed to comply with current European regulations for PFAS in drinking water (0.1 µg/L sum of 20 PFAS; 0.5 µg/L total PFAS); it can be extended to other regional PFAS lists. 
• Robust method: Proven robustness with consistent performance across multiple injections and different matrices (drinking water, surface water, groundwater, wastewater), maintaining accuracy and stability without the need for maintenance or MS tuning. 
• Validated performance: Meets stringent validation criteria, including linearity (R² > 0.990), accuracy, precision, and robustness, with relative amount deviations well within acceptable limits. 
• Practical application: Applicable for the analysis of extracted water samples, including drinking water, surface water, groundwater, and wastewater, supporting environmental and public health monitoring. 

4. Waters Corporation / ASMS: Automated Cyclic Ion Mobility–Mass Spectrometry MS/MS Workflow and Data Analysis for Shotgun Lipidomics

• Poster
• Full PDF for download