Iterative optimization of an ESI IT mass spectrometer using regular simplex and a multivariate target function representing the S/N ratio

Standard automatic tuning for mass spectrometry usually exploits a one-variable-at-a-time approach. This method suffers from important drawbacks: the target function selected for optimization improves the signal of a single channel or a pool of channels without considering noise; the interactions between the parameters are not evaluated. The optimization of the experimental settings of an ESI IT mass spectrometer is carried out here by a multivariate procedure exploiting a target function representing the S/N ratio calculated by principal component analysis and a regular simplex optimization algorithm. A preliminary feasibility study was performed since the target function must be sensitive to the changes in the experimental conditions applied during the iterative tuning and be free from drifts. The feasibility study was carried out to evaluate: the presence of memory effects; the size of the variations in the S/N ratio; the number of scans needed to generate a reliable S/N ratio; the concentration of the multi-standard mixture to use during tuning; the experimental duration required to achieve S/N stability when the experimental settings are modified. The feasibility study led to the identification of the best protocol to accomplish the tuning, while simplex optimization allowed the S/N ratio to be improved by about 70% with respect to the default conditions suggested by the manufacturer.