Method of Separating Ions
AssigneeMicromass UK Limited
InventorsMartin Raymond GREEN, Kevin GILES, David John LANGRIDGE
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Abstract
The present disclosure relates generally to a method of separating ions according to their ion mobility, comprising (i) accumulating a first population of ions in a first region of an ion mobility separator, (ii) separating said first population of ions according to their ion mobility in said first region of said ion mobility separator, and (iii) accumulating a second population of ions in said first region of said ion mobility separator whilst said first population of ions are being separated according to their ion mobility in said ion mobility separator.
Claims22
A method of separating ions according to their ion mobility, comprising:
- (i) accumulating a first population of ions in a first region of an ion mobility separator;
- (ii) separating said first population of ions according to their ion mobility in said first region of said ion mobility separator;
- and
- (iii) accumulating a second population of ions in said first region of said ion mobility separator whilst said first population of ions are being separated according to their ion mobility in said ion mobility separator.
An ion mobility spectrometer or separation device comprising:
- an ion mobility separator comprising a first region arranged and adapted to accumulate consecutive populations of ions;
- and
- a control system arranged and adapted:
- (i) to accumulate a first population of ions in said first region of said ion mobility separator;
- (ii) to separate said first population of ions according to their ion mobility in said first region of said ion mobility separator;
- and
- (iii) to accumulate a second population of ions in said first region of said ion mobility separator whilst said first population of ions are being separated according to their ion mobility in said ion mobility separator.
A method of separating ions in a device, wherein the device comprises a first region, an accumulation region upstream of the first region and a second region downstream of the first region, and the method comprises the steps of:
- (i) driving a first population of ions through the first and second regions so as to separate a first population of ions, whilst accumulating a second population of ions in the accumulation region;
- (ii) after the first population of ions has exited the first region, but prior to the first population of ions exiting the second region, transferring the second population of ions into the first region and trapping the second population of ions within the first region;
- and then
- (iii) driving the second population of ions through the first and second regions so as to separate the second population of ions, whilst accumulating a third population of ions in the accumulation region;
- (iv) repeating steps (ii) and (iii) for the third and further populations of ions so as to successively separate the third and further populations of ions.
An apparatus comprising a device for separating ions and a control system, wherein the device comprises a first region, an accumulation region upstream of the first region and a second region downstream of the first region, and the control system is arranged and adapted:
- (i) to drive a first population of ions through the first and second regions so as to separate the first population of ions, for example according to their ion mobility, whilst accumulating a second population of ions in the accumulation region;
- (ii) after the first population of ions has exited the first region, but prior to the first population of ions exiting the second region, to transfer the second population of ions into the first region and trap the second population of ions within the first region;
- and then
- (iii) to drive the second population of ions through the first and second regions so as to separate the second population of ions, for example according to their ion mobility, whilst accumulating a third population of ions in the accumulation region;
- and
- (iv) to repeat steps (ii) and (iii) for the third and further populations of ions so as to successively separate the third and further populations of ions, for example according to their ion mobility.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.