Quadrupole Time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QTOF-MS) provides high-resolution, accurate-mass data for full-scan information of both precursor ion and all product ions. This is an ideal approach for compound screening where unknown compounds in complex samples must be identified from information-rich data sets. Interpretation and processing of such data has always been identified as a bottleneck and a myriad of tools and workflows have been created to simplify this often-complex task.
Herein, we present a workflow for screening up-to-date forensic compounds using an innovative benchtop QqTOF mass spectrometer and powerful control-comparison techniques with high-resolution library matching to identify compounds of interest. We also investigate the use of novel Electron Activated Dissociation (EAD) techniques and its potential applicability to the task of detecting and identifying unknown substances in environmental samples.