Multimode ion source with improved ionization
AssigneeAgilent Technologies, Inc.
InventorAlexander Mordehai
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A multimode ionization source with improved ionization characteristics that comprises an electrospray ionization source for providing a charged aerosol, an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) source including a corona needle having an end positioned downstream from the electrospray ionization source for producing a discharge that further ionizes the charged aerosol, an assist gas inlet positioned adjacent to the corona needle for providing assist gas, the assist gas facilitating ionization of the charged aerosol by the corona discharge, and a conduit having an orifice for receiving ions from the charged aerosol.
Claims23
A multimode ionization source comprising:
- a) an electrospray ionization source for providing a charged aerosol;
- b) an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) source including a corona needle having an end positioned downstream from the electrospray ionization source for producing a discharge that further ionizes the charged aerosol;
- c) an assist gas inlet positioned adjacent to the corona needle for providing assist gas, the assist gas facilitating ionization of the charged aerosol by the discharge;
- and
- d) a conduit having an orifice for receiving ions from the charged aerosol.
The multimode ionization source, further comprising:
- e) a drying device adjacent to the electrospray ionization source for drying the charged aerosol.
A mass spectrometer comprising:
- i) a multimode ionization source comprising:
- a) an electrospray ionization source for providing a charged aerosol;
- b) an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) source including a corona needle having an end positioned downstream from the electrospray ionization source for producing a discharge that further ionizes the charged aerosol;
- c) an assist gas inlet positioned adjacent to the corona needle for providing assist gas, the assist gas facilitating ionization of the charged aerosol by the discharge;
- and
- d) a conduit having an orifice for receiving ions from the charged aerosol;
- ii) a mass analyzer positioned at a downstream end of the conduit and receiving ions therefrom;
- and
- iii) a detector downstream from the mass analyzer for detecting ions received from the mass analyzer.
A method of producing ions using a multimode ionization source comprising:
- a) producing a charged aerosol by electrospray ionization;
- b) guiding the charged aerosol downstream using electrodes;
- c) providing an assist gas in the vicinity of a corona needle downstream from the electrodes;
- and
- d) ionizing the charged aerosol using with a discharge from the corona needle facilitated by the assist gas.
An ion source for a mass spectrometer comprising:
- a corona needle positioned to create a discharge in proximity to a stream of analytes;
- and
- an assist gas inlet positioned adjacent to the corona needle for providing assist gas, the assist gas facilitating ionization of the analytes by the corona needle discharge.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.