Back to results
US 9,543,135 B2Granted
Mass spectrometer and mass analyzing method for efficiently ionizing a sample with less carry-over
AssigneeHitachi High-Technologies Corporation
InventorsShun Kumano, Masuyuki Sugiyama, Yuichiro Hashimoto, Hideki Hasegawa, Masuyoshi Yamada, Kazushige Nishimura, Hidetoshi Morokuma
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mass spectrometer for efficiently ionizing a sample with less carry-over. The ratio of the amount of sample gas to that of a whole headspace gas is increased by decreasing the pressure inside of a sample vessel in which the sample is sealed thereby efficiently ionizing the sample.
Claims11
A mass spectrometer comprising:
- a sample vessel in which a water solution containing sample molecules is sealed, where at least some of sample is vaporized;
- an ionization housing connected to the sample vessel by a first pipeline having a pulse valve connected thereto and to the ionization housing, and having a discharge ionization source of taking in a gas containing vaporized sample molecules and water molecules which are present in the sample vessel and ionizing the sample molecules by ion molecule reaction, the pressure being lower than the pressure inside of the sample vessel, the pulse valve configured to discontinuously introduce the gas into the ionization housing;
- a vacuum chamber connected to the ionization housing, said vacuum chamber having a pump coupled thereto, said pump configured to maintain a pressure of the vacuum chamber at 0.1 Pa or lower, and said vacuum chamber having a mass analyzer for analyzing the ionized sample by m/z;
- and
- means for decreasing the pressure inside of the sample vessel,
- wherein the means for decreasing the pressure inside of the sample vessel is connected to a second pipeline in which the other side of the second pipeline is connected to the sample vessel or the first pipeline.
3 more elements
A mass analyzing method using a sample vessel in which a water solution containing sample molecules is sealed, where at least some of sample is vaporized;
- an ionization housing connected to the sample vessel by a first pipeline having a pulse valve connected thereto and to the ionization housing, and having a discharge ionization source for ionizing the sample molecules by ion molecule reaction, and
- a vacuum chamber connected to the ionization housing said vacuum chamber having a first pump coupled thereto, said first pump being configured to maintain a pressure of the vacuum chamber at 0.1 Pa or lower, and said vacuum chamber having a mass analyzer for analyzing the ionized sample by m/z and a second pump connected to a second pipeline in which the other side of the second pipeline is connected to the sample vessel or the first pipeline, the method comprising:
- decreasing pressure inside of the vacuum chamber;
- decreasing the pressure inside of the sample vessel using the second pump;
- taking in, discontinuously, a gas containing vaporized sample molecules and water molecules which are present in the sample vessel to the ionization housing via the pulse valve and ionizing the sample molecules;
- and
- analyzing the ionized sample in the mass analyzer.
4 more elements
A mass spectrometer comprising:
- a sample vessel in which a solid or liquid sample is sealed, where at least some of sample is vaporized;
- an ionization housing coupled to the sample vessel and having an ionization source of taking in, discontinuously, a gas containing vaporized sample molecules which is present in the sample vessel via a pulse valve coupled to the sample vessel and to the ionization housing and ionizing the same, the pressure being lower than the pressure inside of the sample vessel;
- a vacuum chamber coupled to the ionization housing said vacuum chamber having a first pump coupled thereto, said first pump configured to maintain a pressure of the vacuum chamber at 0.1 Pa or lower, and said vacuum chamber having a mass analyzer for analyzing the ionized sample by m/z;
- and
- a second pump for decreasing the pressure inside of the sample vessel,
- wherein the second pump is coupled to one side of a pipeline in which another side of the pipeline is coupled to the sample vessel.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.