US 2007/0176091 A1Published application

Fourier transform mass spectrometer and method for generating a mass spectrum therefrom

AssigneeThermo Finnigan LLC

InventorsOliver Lange, Andreas Wieghaus

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Abstract

A method of generating a mass spectrum from an FTMS is disclosed. A first quantity of ions from a source, having a first m/z range, is captured and detected in the FTMS measurement cell to produce a first output. A second quantity of ions, having a second m/z range which at least partially does not overlap with the first m/z range, is then captured and detected so as to produce a second output. The two outputs are then combined using a processor so as to “stitch” together the outputs, which may be FTMS transients or may first be Fourier Transformed into the frequency mass domain, into a composite output from which a composite mass spectrum covering the full range of m/z ratios included by the first and second ranges can be produced.

Claims42

Dependent claims

A method of generating a mass spectrum from a Fourier Transform Mass Spectrometer (FTMS), comprising the steps of:

(a) generating ions to be analysed by the FTMS;
(b) capturing a first quantity of the generated ions in an FTMS measurement cell, the first quantity including ions having a first range of m/z ratios;
(c) detecting the captured ions within the said first range and producing a first output signal containing information regarding the m/z ratios of the ions in that first range;
(d) capturing at least one further quantity of the generated ions in the measurement cell, the or each further quantity including ions having a corresponding further range of m/z ratios which is at least partly different to that of the first range and of any other further ranges which may have been captured in the measurement cell;
(e) detecting the captured ions within the or each further range and producing a corresponding further output signal or signals containing information regarding the m/z ratios of the ions in the or each corresponding further range;
and
(f) combining, using processing means, the first output signal with the at least one further output signal so as to produce a composite mass spectrum including m/z ratios from within each of the ranges that are combined.

4 more elements

A Fourier Transform Mass Spectrometer (FTMS) comprising:

an ion source for producing ions whose mass to charge (m/z) ratio is to be determined;
an FTMS measurement cell, arranged to receive ions generated by the ion source and to capture a proportion thereof;
detector means, for detecting ions captured in the FTMS measurement cell and for producing an output signal containing information regarding the m/z ratios of the detected ions;
and
a processor, configured to process an output signal received from the detector means;
wherein:
(i) in a first scan, the FTMS measurement cell is arranged to capture a first proportion of ions generated by the ion source, the first proportion having a first range of m/z ratios within the ranges generated by the ion source, and the detector means is arranged to output a first output signal containing information regarding that first range of m/z ratios;
wherein:
(ii) in at least one further scan, the FTMS measurement cell is arranged to capture a further proportion or proportions of ions generated by the ion source, the or each further proportion having further range(s) of m/z ratios within the range generated by the ion source, the or each of which further range(s) at least partially do not overlap with the first range, and the detector means is arranged to output a corresponding one or more further output signal(s) containing information regarding the or those respective further range(s) of m/z ratios;
and further wherein:
(iii) the processor is configured to combine the first output signal with the at least one further output signal so as to produce a composite mass spectrum including m/z ratios from within each of the ranges which are combined.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.