SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             Washington, D.C.  20549

                   ___________________________________________


                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT



                       Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
                       the Securities Exchange Act of 1934



                                 Date of Report
                       (Date of earliest event reported):

                                  July 15, 1997

                    ________________________________________


                             THERMOQUEST CORPORATION
             (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)


   Delaware                        1-14262                          77-0407461
   (State or other               (Commission                  (I.R.S. Employer
   jurisdiction of               File Number)           Identification Number)
   incorporation or
   organization)


   355 River Oaks Parkway
   San Jose, California                                                  95134
   (Address of principal executive offices)                         (Zip Code)


                                 (617) 622-1000
                         (Registrant's telephone number
                              including area code)
PAGE
<PAGE>




   Item 5.  Other Events
            ------------

      On July 15, 1997, ThermoQuest Corporation (the "Company") issued a press
   release, attached hereto as Exhibit 99, to announce that it had agreed in
   principle to purchase the Laboratory Products Group and the Hypersil
   businesses of Life Sciences International from Thermo Instruments Systems
   Inc., the Company's parent corporation, for approximately $167 million,
   subject to post-closing adjustments.

   Item 7.  Financial Statements, Pro Forma Combined Condensed Financial
            ------------------------------------------------------------
            Information and Exhibits
            ------------------------

            (a) Financial Statements of Business Acquired: not applicable.

            (b) Pro Forma Combined Condensed Financial Information: not
                applicable.

            (c) Exhibits

                99  Press Release of the Company, dated July 15, 1997



                               SIGNATURES


        Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
   the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by
   the undersigned thereunto duly authorized, on this 21st day of July 1997.



                                             THERMOQUEST CORPORATION


                                             By: /s/ Melissa F. Riordan
                                                 ----------------------
                                                 Melissa F. Riordan
                                                 Treasurer



   AA972020035
PAGE
<PAGE>




                                                               EXHIBIT 99
                                                               ----------

   Investor Contact: 617-622-1111
   Media Contact: 617-622-1252

     THERMOQUEST PLANS TO ACQUIRE THE LABORATORY PRODUCTS GROUP AND HYPERSIL
                    OPERATIONS OF LIFE SCIENCES INTERNATIONAL

   WALTHAM, Mass., July 15, 1997 -- ThermoQuest Corporation (ASE-TMQ)
   announced today that the boards of directors of ThermoQuest and Thermo
   Instrument Systems Inc. (ASE-THI) have agreed in principle on the sale of
   the Laboratory Products Group and the Hypersil businesses of Life Sciences
   International to ThermoQuest for approximately $167 million, subject to a

   post-closing adjustment. These businesses reported 1996 revenues of
   approximately $118 million. The purchase price for the transactions will be
   paid in a combination of cash, the assumption of debt, and/or the issuance
   of ThermoQuest common stock.  Hypersil, and the companies of the Laboratory
   Products Group, are wholly owned subsidiaries of Life Sciences
   International, which was acquired in March 1997 by Thermo Instrument, the
   majority owner of ThermoQuest.

        The three companies of the Laboratory Products Group of Life Sciences
   International develop, manufacture, and distribute laboratory equipment to
   the research and analytical chemistry laboratory marketplace. These
   U.S.-based companies are:


         Forma Scientific, Inc., a leader in controlled-environment laboratory
   equipment including incubators, ultralow-temperature freezers, safety
   cabinets, cryopreservation equipment, and orbital shakers;
    
        International Equipment Company, a manufacturer of general purpose and
   high-speed centrifuges often used to separate and prepare samples prior to
   analytical instrument analysis; and

        Savant Instruments, a manufacturer of products for sample preparation
   as well as conventional gel electrophoresis products, including vacuum
   generators, gel drying systems, electrophoresis power supplies, and
   electrophoresis equipment. 


        Also included in the acquisition is Hypersil, a U.K.-based
   manufacturer of liquid chromatography media and columns used in high
   performance liquid chromatography. This technique is used for a wide
   variety of applications in the pharmaceutical, food and beverage, chemical
   production, and forensic science markets, and for many other applications
   in analytical laboratories.

        "With the addition of the Laboratory Products Group and Hypersil, we
   have more than doubled the size of our addressed markets," said Dr. Richard
   W.K. Chapman, president and chief executive officer of ThermoQuest
   Corporation. "More important, we can offer the organic analytical chemist a

   range of integrated product offerings from a single source with a common
   quality and distribution strategy. ThermoQuest can now provide its
   customers with sample preparation instruments, controlled environment
   equipment, and chromatography consumables, together with one of the
PAGE
<PAGE>




   industry's most complete lines of mass spectrometry and separation
   products."

        These transactions are subject to several conditions, including
   completion by ThermoQuest of its due diligence investigations and the
   negotiation of a mutually satisfactory definitive agreement. Due to
   ThermoQuest's majority ownership by Thermo Instrument Systems, for
   accounting purposes, after the execution of a definitive agreement, the
   acquisition will be deemed effective as of March 12, 1997, the date Thermo
   Instrument Systems purchased Life Sciences International. 

        ThermoQuest Corporation develops, manufactures, and sells mass
   spectrometers, liquid chromatographs, and gas chromatographs for the

   environmental, pharmaceutical, and industrial marketplaces. These
   analytical instruments are used in the quantitative and qualitative
   chemical analysis of organic and inorganic compounds at ultratrace levels
   of detection. ThermoQuest is a public subsidiary of Thermo Instrument
   Systems Inc., a Thermo Electron company. More information is available on
   the Internet at http://www.thermo.com/subsid/tmq.html.

   This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve a
   number of risks and uncertainties. Important factors that could cause
   actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such
   forward-looking statements are set forth under the caption "Forward-looking
   Statements" in Exhibit 13 to the company's annual report on Form 10-K for

   the year ended December 28, 1996. These include uncertainties relating to
   competition and technological change, intellectual property rights and
   litigation, dependence on certain key industries, and risks associated with
   the company's acquisition strategy and international operations.
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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             Washington, D.C.  20549

                   ___________________________________________

                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT

                       Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
                       the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

                                 Date of Report
                       (Date of earliest event reported):

                                  July 15, 1997

                    ________________________________________

                             THERMOQUEST CORPORATION
             (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

   Delaware                        1-14262                          77-0407461
   (State or other               (Commission                  (I.R.S. Employer
   jurisdiction of               File Number)           Identification Number)
   incorporation or
   organization)

   355 River Oaks Parkway
   San Jose, California                                                  95134
   (Address of principal executive offices)                         (Zip Code)

                                 (617) 622-1000
                         (Registrant's telephone number
                              including area code)
PAGE
Item 5.  Other Events
            ------------

      On July 15, 1997, ThermoQuest Corporation (the "Company") issued a press
   release, attached hereto as Exhibit 99, to announce that it had agreed in
   principle to purchase the Laboratory Products Group and the Hypersil
   businesses of Life Sciences International from Thermo Instruments Systems
   Inc., the Company's parent corporation, for approximately $167 million,
   subject to post-closing adjustments.

   Item 7.  Financial Statements, Pro Forma Combined Condensed Financial
            ------------------------------------------------------------
            Information and Exhibits
            ------------------------

            (a) Financial Statements of Business Acquired: not applicable.

            (b) Pro Forma Combined Condensed Financial Information: not
                applicable.

            (c) Exhibits

                99  Press Release of the Company, dated July 15, 1997

                               SIGNATURES

        Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
   the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by
   the undersigned thereunto duly authorized, on this 21st day of July 1997.

                                             THERMOQUEST CORPORATION

                                             By: /s/ Melissa F. Riordan
                                                 ----------------------
                                                 Melissa F. Riordan
                                                 Treasurer

   AA972020035
PAGE
EXHIBIT 99
                                                               ----------

   Investor Contact: 617-622-1111
   Media Contact: 617-622-1252

     THERMOQUEST PLANS TO ACQUIRE THE LABORATORY PRODUCTS GROUP AND HYPERSIL
                    OPERATIONS OF LIFE SCIENCES INTERNATIONAL

   WALTHAM, Mass., July 15, 1997 -- ThermoQuest Corporation (ASE-TMQ)
   announced today that the boards of directors of ThermoQuest and Thermo
   Instrument Systems Inc. (ASE-THI) have agreed in principle on the sale of
   the Laboratory Products Group and the Hypersil businesses of Life Sciences
   International to ThermoQuest for approximately $167 million, subject to a

   post-closing adjustment. These businesses reported 1996 revenues of
   approximately $118 million. The purchase price for the transactions will be
   paid in a combination of cash, the assumption of debt, and/or the issuance
   of ThermoQuest common stock.  Hypersil, and the companies of the Laboratory
   Products Group, are wholly owned subsidiaries of Life Sciences
   International, which was acquired in March 1997 by Thermo Instrument, the
   majority owner of ThermoQuest.

        The three companies of the Laboratory Products Group of Life Sciences
   International develop, manufacture, and distribute laboratory equipment to
   the research and analytical chemistry laboratory marketplace. These
   U.S.-based companies are:

         Forma Scientific, Inc., a leader in controlled-environment laboratory
   equipment including incubators, ultralow-temperature freezers, safety
   cabinets, cryopreservation equipment, and orbital shakers;
    
        International Equipment Company, a manufacturer of general purpose and
   high-speed centrifuges often used to separate and prepare samples prior to
   analytical instrument analysis; and

        Savant Instruments, a manufacturer of products for sample preparation
   as well as conventional gel electrophoresis products, including vacuum
   generators, gel drying systems, electrophoresis power supplies, and
   electrophoresis equipment. 

        Also included in the acquisition is Hypersil, a U.K.-based
   manufacturer of liquid chromatography media and columns used in high
   performance liquid chromatography. This technique is used for a wide
   variety of applications in the pharmaceutical, food and beverage, chemical
   production, and forensic science markets, and for many other applications
   in analytical laboratories.

        "With the addition of the Laboratory Products Group and Hypersil, we
   have more than doubled the size of our addressed markets," said Dr. Richard
   W.K. Chapman, president and chief executive officer of ThermoQuest
   Corporation. "More important, we can offer the organic analytical chemist a

   range of integrated product offerings from a single source with a common
   quality and distribution strategy. ThermoQuest can now provide its
   customers with sample preparation instruments, controlled environment
   equipment, and chromatography consumables, together with one of the
PAGE
industry's most complete lines of mass spectrometry and separation
   products."

        These transactions are subject to several conditions, including
   completion by ThermoQuest of its due diligence investigations and the
   negotiation of a mutually satisfactory definitive agreement. Due to
   ThermoQuest's majority ownership by Thermo Instrument Systems, for
   accounting purposes, after the execution of a definitive agreement, the
   acquisition will be deemed effective as of March 12, 1997, the date Thermo
   Instrument Systems purchased Life Sciences International. 

        ThermoQuest Corporation develops, manufactures, and sells mass
   spectrometers, liquid chromatographs, and gas chromatographs for the

   environmental, pharmaceutical, and industrial marketplaces. These
   analytical instruments are used in the quantitative and qualitative
   chemical analysis of organic and inorganic compounds at ultratrace levels
   of detection. ThermoQuest is a public subsidiary of Thermo Instrument
   Systems Inc., a Thermo Electron company. More information is available on
   the Internet at http://www.thermo.com/subsid/tmq.html.

   This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve a
   number of risks and uncertainties. Important factors that could cause
   actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such
   forward-looking statements are set forth under the caption "Forward-looking
   Statements" in Exhibit 13 to the company's annual report on Form 10-K for

   the year ended December 28, 1996. These include uncertainties relating to
   competition and technological change, intellectual property rights and
   litigation, dependence on certain key industries, and risks associated with
   the company's acquisition strategy and international operations.