The alliance has already led to the development of a method by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for determining perchlorate in drinking water using ion chromatography with suppressed conductivity and electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry.
Perchlorate is a powerful thyroid toxin that has been used widely in industrial and military applications and is currently causing international concern as an environmental contaminant. It has been detected in the drinking water supply in many countries around the world and is found in foods and beverages.
The combination of ion chromatography and mass spectrometry has provided a way for scientists to confirm both the presence and amount of a contaminant in a single analysis.
Future projects are expected to focus on combining the strengths of Dionex's expertise in separation science with Applied Biosystems/MDS Sciex's expertise in mass spectroscopy.