To search for a matching compound in a PDA library, follow this procedure:
- Move the marker ① to the peak for which you want to find a matching spectrum in a library.
- Right-mouse click to a pane you do not need and select Spectral Search View to display the view which shows search results.
- Use the Library Search Options... ② option from the Spectrum menu. The Spectral Library Search Options dialog will pop up.
Note:
The same can be achieved by pressing the CTRL + F keyboard shortcut. Alternatively, you can use the Perform Library Search command from the Spectrum menu(or the
icon or F3 shortcut) if no spectral search parameters have been set previously.
The library search is based on multiple parameters (mainly the Match Factor). Compounds are excluded from the search results if any of the search parameters do not apply.
- Set the search parameters in the top half of the dialog.
- Note that Restrict Retention Time checkbox ③ should be enabled only when the PDA library has been created under same conditions as the measured chromatogram.
- You can add a new library entry using the
④ button and subsequently the 
⑤ button to select library to be searched for a matching spectrum. - Once the criteria are set, click OK to apply them and to perform the search.
If no spectra meet your criteria, the search was unsuccessful. You may notice a blue ribbon ⑥ at the bottom of the window that states 0 spectra found during the search. The Library Search Result table will be empty ⑦.