15-Day
Refurbishment cadence
OEM-Spec
Verified against OEM and published benchmarks; report included.
On-Staff
Solution Scientists
Since 1996
Three decades supporting labs
What you are buying
A refurbished Agilent 6490 Triple Quadrupole mass spectrometer. This listing is the MS alone; a compatible HPLC front end is sold separately or paired at the bench. The 6490’s iFunnel ion source converts the LC eluent into gas-phase ions with high efficiency. The triple quadrupole isolates a precursor, fragments it, and measures the product ion at trace levels. GenTech rebuilds and tests the source and the analyzer, then verifies the instrument against reference standards.
Every unit moves through the GenTech Certified process. Solution Scientists disassemble and inspect each module, replace all consumables and degraded wear components, then tune and calibrate the instrument and verify performance against OEM and published benchmarks using known reference chemicals. The instrument ships with its verification report. A certified-refurbished system gives you that performance without the capital cost or the lead time of a new purchase.
What Agilent says about this platform
Agilent engineered the 6490 Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer to break the traditional boundaries of trace-level quantitation. Incorporating breakthrough iFunnel technology, Agilent highlights this platform as a revolutionary leap forward in sensitivity, delivering an uncompromised combination of zeptomole-level detection limits and an expansive six orders of linear dynamic range. By dramatically increasing the efficiency of ion generation and transmission into the mass analyzer, the 6490 transforms routine targeted screening into an ultra-sensitive quantitative environment. It stands as a rugged, high-throughput benchtop solution engineered to reliably isolate and count trace target molecules hidden within the most complex biological and environmental matrices.
What this instrument does
As a standalone tandem mass spectrometer (MS/MS), the Agilent 6490 operates as the ultra-sensitive quantitative engine of an analytical system, performing several critical hardware tasks:
- iFunnel Ion Maximization: It utilizes a multi-channel hexabore capillary paired with a dual-stage ion funnel system to capture an unprecedented volume of gas-phase ions from the source, maximizing signal intensity while removing vast amounts of neutral carrier solvent gas.
- True Tandem Mass Selection (MS/MS): It lines up three consecutive high-frequency quadrupole arrays (Q1, q2, Q3) end-to-end to isolate a target precursor mass, fragment it using collision-induced dissociation (CID), and filter the resulting product ions to completely eliminate background chemical noise.
- High-Speed MRM Monitoring: It executes ultra-fast Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) transitions with incredibly short dwell times, enabling laboratories to accurately quantify hundreds of compounds in a single, high-throughput chromatographic run.
- Massive Dynamic Range: It coordinates advanced ion detection electronics to linearize signal outputs across six full orders of magnitude, allowing the instrument to accurately measure ultra-trace components and high-concentration targets in the exact same sample injection.
| In this listing | |
| Agilent 6490 Triple Quadrupole MS G6490A | Verified |
| Mechanical Pump | Verified |
| Workstation with preloaded software | Included |
| Warranty Coverage Extended Options Available | Verified |
| Each module is individually serialized and performance-verified before the stack is assembled and tested as a complete system. | |
Technical detail
| Mass Range | m/z 5 to 1,400 |
| iFunnel Technology | Hexabore capillary (6 parallel channels) paired with dual-stage ion funnel geometry |
| MS/MS Sensitivity | 1 fg of reserpine injected on column (ESI source); Signal-to-noise ratio > 10,000:1 |
| Linear Dynamic Range | 6 orders of magnitude (> 10⁶) |
| Mass Resolution | 3 settings (FWHM) — Unit: 0.7 u, Wide: 1.2 u, Widest: 2.5 u |
| Mass Accuracy | 0.1 u across the entire mass range |
| Mass Stability | < 0.1 u over a continuous 24-hour period |
| Scan Rate | Up to 10,000 u/second |
| Collision Cell | High-pressure hexapole design with linear acceleration to eliminate cross-talk |
| MRM Dwell Time | Minimum MRM dwell time of 1 ms |
| Polarity Switching Time | 30 ms inter-scan delay |
*OEM specifications for brand new instrument.
What “GenTech Certified” means
Refurbishment at GenTech is a defined process, not a wipe-down. Every system moves through the same specific stages.
1. Disassembly and rebuild. Solution Scientists strip the instrument down, clean each module inside and out, and rebuild it from the frame up. They replace pump seals, pistons, and check valves to specification.
2. Configuration and new parts. Solution Scientists install the options and modules you selected and fit new wear parts throughout. They replace the detector lamp with a new one and reset the lamp hours.
3. Diagnostic and performance testing. Solution Scientists tune and calibrate the instrument, run system diagnostics, and confirm detector wavelength accuracy. They test full-system pressure and gradient performance against OEM and published benchmarks using known reference chemicals.
4. Delivery and installation. The instrument ships in protective packing with a one-year warranty option and professional installation available from a GenTech Solution Scientist.
Labs that run this system
Because the Agilent 6490 is a high-end, ultra-sensitive triple quadrupole system, it is the exact instrument class demanded by modern laboratories for strict, trace-level quantitative compliance panels.
Ultra-Trace PFAS Compliance Testing
EPA Method 537.1, EPA 1633, and similar state programs require quantitation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in drinking water and soils at low parts-per-trillion (ppt) or part-per-quadrillion levels. Backed by its signature iFunnel sensitivity, the Agilent 6490 allows environmental labs to easily exceed these strict legal detection limits, delivering reliable, reproducible trace-contaminant profiles.
Regulatory Pesticide and Mycotoxin Compliance
State cannabis rules and international food safety standards enforce rigid, sub-parts-per-billion action levels for action-listed pesticide residues and heavy mycotoxins. The 6490 provides the immense sensitivity required to hit these difficult action thresholds directly inside heavy, complex plant and food matrices, preventing matrix-suppression errors and ensuring product compliance.
Genotoxic Impurity and Nitrosamine Quantitation
Regulatory bodies impose incredibly strict limits on potentially genotoxic trace impurities, such as NDMA and other nitrosamines, inside active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). The Agilent 6490 delivers the precise lower limits of quantitation (LLOQ) necessary to track these trace carcinogens during drug development and manufacturing quality control, far exceeding standard cleaning validation thresholds.
Low-Level Endogenous Biomarker Quantitation
High-complexity clinical research applications routinely track low-abundance endogenous biomarkers, such as free steroids, hormones, and vitamin panels, in small blood or plasma volumes. The extreme sensitivity of this platform allows clinical and forensic toxicology laboratories to scale down sample preparation volumes while still achieving robust, legal-grade quantitative accuracy.
GLP-Grade Micro-Dosing & Pharmacokinetics
Early-stage clinical trials involving micro-dosing strategies require analytical platforms that can track ultra-low concentrations of a drug candidate over extended clearance timelines. Operating under GLP-compliant MassHunter software control, the 6490 provides the reliable accuracy, low-end sensitivity, and robust automated audit trails required for strict pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) modeling.
| Weight | 350 lbs |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 30 × 30 × 30 in |
| Model | 6490 |
| OEM | Agilent Technologies |
| Financing | Financing Options Available |
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