Rate of Advancement of Detection Limits in Mass Spectrometry: Is there a Moore’s Law of Mass Spec?

Mass spectrometry is a well-established analytical technique for studying the masses of atoms, molecules, or fragments of molecules. One of the key metrics of mass spectrometers is the limit of detection e.g., the minimum amount of signal from an analyte that can be reliably distinguished from noise. Detection limits have improved greatly over the last 30–40 years to the point that nanogram per litre and even picogram per litre detections are commonly reported. There is however, a difference between detection limits obtained with a single, pure compound in a pure solvent and those obtained from real life samples/matrixes. Determining a practical detection limit for mass spectrometry is difficult because it depends on multiple factors, such as the compound under test, the matrix, data processing methods and spectrometer type. Here we show the improvements in reported limits of detection on mass spectrometers over time using industry and literature data. The limit of detection for glycine and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane were taken from multiple published articles spanning a period of 45 years. The limits of detection were plotted against the article’s year of publication to assess whether the trend in improvement in sensitivity resembles Moore’s Law of computing (essentially doubling every two years). The results show that advancements in detection limits in mass spectrometry are close to, but not quite at a rate equivalent to Moore’s Law and the improvements in detection limits reported from industry seem to be greater than those reported in the academic literature.