Evaluation of a differential mobility spectrometer/miniature mass spectrometer system

A planar differential mobility spectrometer (DMS) was coupled to a Mini 10 handheld rectilinear ion trap (RIT) mass spectrometer (MS) (total weight 10 kg), and the performance of the instrument was evaluated using illicit drug analysis. Coupling of DMS (which requires a continuous flow of drift gas) with a miniature MS (which operates best using sample introduction via a discontinuous atmospheric pressure interface, DAPI), was achieved with auxiliary pumping using a 5 L/min miniature diaphragm sample pump placed between the two devices. On-line ion mobility filtering showed to be advantageous in reducing the background chemical noise in the analysis of the psychotropic drug diazepam in urine using nanoelectrospray ionization. The combination of a miniature mass spectrometer with simple and rapid gas-phase ion separation by DMS allowed the characteristic fragmentation pattern of diazepam to be distinguished in a simple urine extract at lower limits of detection (50 ng/mL) than that achieved without DMS (200 ng/mL). The additional separation power of DMS facilitated the identification of two drugs of similar molecular weight, morphine (average MW = 285.34) and diazepam (average MW = 284.70), using a miniature mass spectrometer capable of unit resolution. The similarity in the proton affinities of these two compounds resulted in some cross-interference in the MS data due to facile ionization of the neutral form of the compound even when the ionic form had been separated by DMS.     

Improving FAIMS sensitivity using a planar geometry with slit interfaces

Differential mobility spectrometry or field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS) is gaining broad acceptance for analyses of gas-phase ions, especially in conjunction with largely orthogonal separation methods such as mass spectrometry (MS) and/or conventional (drift tube) ion mobility spectrometry. In FAIMS, ions are filtered while passing through a gap between two electrodes that may have planar or curved (in particular, cylindrical) geometry. Despite substantial inherent advantages of the planar configuration and its near-universal adoption in current stand-alone FAIMS devices, commercial FAIMS/MS systems have employed curved FAIMS geometries that can be more effectively interfaced to MS. Here we report a new planar (p-) FAIMS design with slit-shaped entrance and exit apertures that substantially increase ion transmission in and out of the analyzer. The entrance slit interface effectively couples p-FAIMS to multi-emitter electrospray ionization (ESI) sources, improving greatly the ion current introduced to the device and allowing liquid flow rates up to ∼50 μL/min. The exit slit interface increases the transmission of ribbon-shaped ion beams output by the p-FAIMS to downstream stages such as a MS. Overall, the ion signal in ESI/FAIMS/MS analyses increases by over an order of magnitude without affecting FAIMS resolution.     

Multi-turn time-of-flight mass spectrometers with electrostatic sectors

The mass resolution of a time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometer is directly proportional to its total flight pathlength. Multi-turn or multi-passage ion optical geometries are necessary to obtain fight distances of sufficient length within reasonable size limitations. We have investigated ion optics for a multi-turn TOF mass spectrometer with electrostatic sectors. The concept of 'perfect' focusing conditions is introduced. Furthermore, a new type of multi-turn TOF mass spectrometer, the MULTUM Linear plus, was developed. It consists of four cylindrical electric sectors and 28 electric quadrupole lenses. It has a vacuum chamber 60 x 70 x 20 cm in size. Mass resolution is demonstrated to increase according to the number of ion cycles. A mass resolution of 350 000 (m/z = 28, FWHM) was achieved after 501.5 cycles. The MULTUM Linear plus analyzer is not simple, however; 28 electric quadrupole lenses are used. In order to reduce the number of ion optical parts, an improved multi-turn TOF mass spectrometer, the MULTUM II, consisting of only four toroidal electric sectors, was also developed. The possibility of tandem mass spectrometric applications using multi-turn TOF mass spectrometers is also discussed.     

Gas-phase separation using a trapped ion mobility spectrometer

In the present work we describe the principles of operation, versatility and applicability of a trapped ion mobility spectrometer (TIMS) analyzer for fast, gas-phase separation of molecular ions based on their size-to-charge ratio. Mobility-based separation using a TIMS device is shown for a series for isobar pairs. In a TIMS device, mobility resolution depends on the bath gas velocity and analysis scan speed, with the particularity that the mobility separation can be easily tuned from low to high resolution (R?>?50) in accordance with the analytical challenge . In contrast to traditional drift tube IMS analyzer, a TIMS device can be easily integrated in a mass spectrometer without a noticeable loss in ion transmission or sensitivity, thus providing a powerful separation platform prior to mass analysis.     

Ion mobility spectrometry detection for gas chromatography

The hyphenated analytical method in which ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) is coupled to gas chromatography (GC) provides a versatile alternative for the sensitive and selective detection of compounds after chromatographic separation. Providing compound selectivity by measuring unique gas phase mobilities of characteristic analyte ions, the separation and detection process of gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) can be divided into five individual steps: sample introduction, compound separation, ion generation, ion separation and ion detection. The significant advantage of a GC-IMS detection is that the resulting interface can be tuned to monitor drift times/ion mobilities (as a mass spectrometer (MS) can be tuned to monitor ion masses) of interest, thereby tailoring response characteristics to fit the need of a given separation problem. Because IMS separates ions based on mobilities rather than mass, selective detection among compounds of the same mass but different structures are possible. The most successful application of GC-IMS to date has been in the international space station. With the introduction of two-dimensional gas chromatography (2D-GC), and a second type of mobility detector, namely differential mobility spectrometry (DMS), GC prior to mobility measurements can now produce four-dimensional analytical information. Complex mixtures in difficult matrices can now be analyzed. This review article is intended to provide an overview of the GC-IMS/DMS technique, recent developments, significant applications, and future directions of the technique.     

新型空气动力辅助离子源与不同类型质量分析器的快速接口技术

报道了新型空气动力辅助离子化(AFAI)装置与不同类型商业化质量分析器的快速接口技术. 在前期研究基础上, 进一步提高了AFAI系统的抽气流速, 在更宽范围内考察了流速对质谱灵敏度的影响; 对AFAI离子源进行模块化设计和制作, 重点解决快速接口问题, 通过更换接口板可实现其与不同厂家、 不同类型质量分析器的兼容及联用, 尤其可以与具有气帘接口的质量分析器联用. 本离子源装置结合不同质量分析器可以进行全扫描、 子离子扫描、 母离子扫描、 中性丢失扫描和高分辨等多种类型质谱分析, 而且AFAI可在电喷雾(ESI)、 解析电喷雾(DESI)和大气压化学电离(APCI)等多种离子化模式下工作, 从而实现对不同性质化合物的快速检测. 本研究结果进一步提高了AFAI离子化技术的功能, 拓展了其应用范围.     

Spherical FAIMS: comparison of curved electrode geometries

High-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS) can operate at atmospheric pressure to separate gas-phase ions on the basis of a difference in the mobility of an ion at high fields relative to its mobility at low field strengths. Several novel cell geometries have been proposed in addition to the commercially available planar and cylindrical designs. Nevertheless, there is still much to explore about three-dimensional (3-D) curved cell geometries (spherical and hemispherical) and comparison to two-dimensional (2-D) curved geometries (cylindrical). The geometry of a FAIMS cell is one of the essential features affecting the transmission, resolution, and resolving power of FAIMS. Electric fields in a spherical design allow advantages such as virtual potential wells that can induce atmospheric-pressure near-trapping conditions and help reduce ion losses. Curvature of electrodes enables the ions to remain focused near the gap median, which help to improve sensitivity and ion trapping at higher pressures. Here we detail the design and characterization of a novel FAIMS cell having spherical electrode geometry and compare it to hemispherical and cylindrical cells. These FAIMS cells were interfaced with a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer in this study. Several structural classes of common explosives were employed to evaluate the separation power of these geometries. FAIMS spectra were generated by scanning the compensation voltage (CV) while operating the mass spectrometer in total ion mode. The identification of ions was accomplished through mass spectra acquired at fixed values of CVs. The performance of FAIMS using cylindrical, hemispherical, and spherical cells was compared and trends identified. For all trials, the best transmission was obtained by the spherical FAIMS cell while hemispherical FAIMS provided the best resolution and resolving power.     

Development of rapid methodologies for the isolation and quantitation of drug metabolites by differential mobility spectrometry – mass spectrometry

Clinical and forensic toxicology laboratories are inundated with thousands of samples requiring lengthy chromatographic separations prior to mass spectrometry. Here, we employ differential mobility spectrometry (DMS) interfaced to nano-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry to provide a rapid ion filtration technique for the separation of ions in gas phase media prior to mass spectral analysis on a DMS-integrated AB SCIEX API 3000 triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer. DMS is efficient at the rapid separation of ions under ambient conditions and provides many advantages when used as an ion filtration technique in tandem with mass spectrometry (MS) and MS/MS. Our studies evaluated DMS-MS/MS as a rapid, quantitative platform for the analysis of drug metabolites isolated from urine samples. In targeted applications, five metabolites of common drugs of abuse were effectively and rapidly separated using isopropanol and ethyl acetate as transport gas modifiers, eliminating the gas chromatography or liquid chromatography-based separations commonly employed in clinical and forensic toxicology laboratories. Calibration curves were prepared for the selected drug metabolites utilizing deuterated internal standards for quantitative purposes. The feasibility of separating and quantitating drug metabolites in a rapid fashion was evaluated by compensation voltage stepping followed by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) detection. Rapid profiling of clinical and forensic toxicology samples could help to address an urgent need within the scientific community by developing high-throughput analytical methodologies, which could reduce significant case backlogs present within these laboratories.     

Tandem differential mobility spectrometry with chemical modification of ions

A tandem ion mobility spectrometer with two sequential differential mobility spectrometry (DMS) drift tubes and with detectors at ambient pressure is described and modes of operation are demonstrated. Separate but coordinated electronic control for each drift tube allows several modes of operation including: all ions passing; compensation voltage (CV) scanning; and ion selection over a narrow CV range. Any of these modes can be applied to each drift tube allowing several combinations of analytical measurements, analogous to tandem mass spectrometry, with ions entered into a gas atmosphere containing reagents between the mobility regions. Ions may be changed by cluster or displacement reactions and characterized in the second DMS analyzer. Proton bound dimers of compounds appearing near 0?V CV in DMS1 were isolated in DMS1, introduced into 1?% isopropanol vapors, and resolved at characteristic CV values in the DMS2. This is achieved with analyzer dimensions little greater than a single DMS instrument.     

Peak capacity in differential mobility spectrometry: effects of transport gas and gas modifiers

Differential mobility spectrometry (DMS) can be used as a pre-filter to improve selectivity prior to mass spectral analysis, because it provides an additional mobility based separation to mass analysis. Ions within a differential mobility spectrometer are separated based upon differences in mobility behavior, which are manifested by applying a strong high frequency asymmetric RF waveform. Currently it is well documented that DMS separation power (peak capacity), can be substantially augmented by adding chemical modifiers to the transport gas. This process is generally referred to as the dynamic cluster/decluster model, and it occurs due to gas phase processes when analyte ions are clustered with modifier molecules in the lower field portion of the RF pulses and declustered during the higher field portion of the waveform. Previous publications have demonstrated that the planar electrode geometry is key to realizing improved performance of DMS sensors with high concentrations of chemical modifiers. The clustering modifier is provided with sufficient concentration to reach conditions where separation peak capacity can be substantially augmented (typically around 1.5?%). The present paper expands on these previous findings by mapping out the behavior of structurally similar compounds, including structural isomers, with a series of different transport gas modifiers, including isopropanol, methanol, acetonitrile, acetone, and ethylacetate. The results highlight the importance of analyte/modifier interactions, demonstrating the variability that can be achieved when different modifiers are used.     

Monte Carlo simulation of ion transport in non-linear ion mobility spectrometry

A program for Monte Carlo simulation of ion transport in non-linear ion mobility spectrometry, also known as field asymmetric ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS) or differential mobility spectrometry (DMS), has been developed. Simulations are based on elastic collisions between the ions and the gas particles, and take into account the effects of flow dynamics and asymmetric electric fields. Using this program, the separation and diffusion of the ions moving in a planar DMS filtration gap are demonstrated. Ion focusing in a cylindrical filtration gap is also confirmed. A characteristic compensation voltage is found to provide insight for understanding separation in non-linear ion mobility spectrometry. The simulation program is used to study the characteristics of non-linear ion mobility spectrometry, the effect of the carrier gas flow, and the dependence of the compensation voltage and nonlinear mobility coefficient (α) on the applied asymmetric electric field.     

Magnetic field focused ion accumulation for an internal bore liquid chromatography electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer using a central trapping electrode

Presented is the application and evaluation of a magnetic field focusing central trapping electrode ion accumulation cell for a capillary liquid chromatography electrospray Fourier transform ion cyclotron (LC-ESI/FTICR) mass spectrometer. The ESI source and accumulation cell are located within the magnetic field to confine the radial motion of the ions, eliminating the need for elaborate focusing optics to transport the ions to the low-pressure analyzer cell for analysis. The central trapping electrode accumulation cell increases sensitivity by providing the necessary potential well in a confined volume to capture ions currently lost during the detection event of LC/FTICR experiments. With this electrode geometry the time needed to gate the ions into the analyzer cell is reduced and pump down delays are minimized. The decreased scan time improves LC resolution and increases the number of mass spectral scans per eluted component while maintaining appropriate base pressures for high performance ESI/FTICR. Results achieved with the central trapping electrode accumulation cell include an effective duty cycle increase from 10% to 40%, a S/N increase by a factor of 30, and a mass resolution increase of 80%.     

Differential mobility spectrometer: optimization of the analytical characteristics

Differential mobility spectrometer is a powerful tool used for detection, filtration and characterization of ions in gas-phase. DMS instrumentation analytical performance is a matter of importance for practical application. This paper is devoted to the improving of the planar DMS analytical characteristics. The goal is to optimize ion transmission and separation efficiency for the best possible DMS performance, balanced between sensitivity and selectivity. Analytical characteristics of the DMS instrument depend on a number of interrelated parameters. Present paper focuses on the sensor geometry and transport gas flow rate and its influence on the DMS performance. To find optimal sensor design parameters a systematic approach to the DMS performance is provided and evaluated both theoretically and experimentally. To facilitate DMS optimization special criterion quantitatively describing DMS analytical quality is proposed. DMS instrumental parameters maximizing analytical quality are determined. Theoretical analysis is validated by comparison with experimental data. Practical recommendations following from these finding are presented.     

Using a nanoelectrospray-differential mobility spectrometer-mass spectrometer system for the analysis of oligosaccharides with solvent selected control over ESI aggregate ion formation

Differential mobility spectrometry (DMS), also commonly referred to as high field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS) is a rapidly advancing technology for gas-phase ion separation. The interfacing of DMS with mass spectrometry (MS) offers potential advantages over the use of mass spectrometry alone. Such advantages include improvements to mass spectral signal/noise, orthogonal/complementary ion separation to mass spectrometry, enhanced ion and complexation structural analysis, and the potential for rapid analyte quantitation. In this report, we demonstrate the successful use of our nanoESI-DMS-MS system, with a methanol drift gas modifier, for the separation of oligosaccharides. The tendency for ESI to form oligosaccharide aggregate ions and the negative impact this has on nanoESI-DMS-MS oligosaccharide analysis is described. In addition, we demonstrate the importance of sample solvent selection for controlling nanoESI oligosaccharide aggregate ion formation and its effect on glycan ionization and DMS separation. The successful use of a tetrachloroethane/methanol solvent solution to reduce ESI oligosaccharide aggregate ion formation while efficiently forming a dominant MH(+) molecular ion is presented. By reducing aggregate ion formation in favor of a dominant MH(+) ion, DMS selectivity and specificity is improved. In addition to DMS, we would expect the reduction in aggregate ion complexity to be beneficial to the analysis of oligosaccharides for other post-ESI separation techniques such as mass spectrometry and ion mobility. The solvent selected control over MH(+) molecular ion formation, offered by the use of the tetrachloroethane/methanol solvent, also holds promise for enhancing MS/MS structural characterization analysis of glycans.     

双电荷离子［C_（12）H_（12）N_2O］~（2＋）和［C_（12）H_（12

双电荷离子［Ｃ_（１２）Ｈ_（１２）Ｎ_２Ｏ］~（２＋）和［Ｃ_（１２）Ｈ_（１２）Ｎ_２Ｓ］~（２＋）的气相单分子分解反应研究任达，贾维平，李智立，刘淑莹（中国科学院长春应用化学研究所，长春，１３００２２）关键词双电荷离子，质量分析离子动能谱，串联质谱，４...     

双电荷离子[C12H12N2O]2+和[C12H12N2S]2+的气相单分子分解反应研究

The unimolecular dissociation reactions of doubly charged ions were reported,which resulted from a tandem mass spectrometer and a reversed geometry double focusing mass spectrometer by electron impact.Mass analyzed ion kinetic energy spectrometry(MIKES) was used to obtain the kinetic energy releases in charge separation reactions of doubly charged ions.The intercharge distances between the two charges at transition states can be calculated from the kinetic energy releases.Transition structures of unimolecular dissociation reactions were infered from MIKES and MS/MS.     

Extending the Dynamic Range of the Ion Trap by Differential Mobility Filtration

A miniature, planar, differential ion mobility spectrometer (DMS) was interfaced to an LCQ classic ion trap to conduct selective ion filtration prior to mass analysis in order to extend the dynamic range of the trap. Space charge effects are known to limit the functional ion storage capacity of ion trap mass analyzers and this, in turn, can affect the quality of the mass spectral data generated. This problem is further exacerbated in the analysis of mixtures where the indiscriminate introduction of matrix ions results in premature trap saturation with non-targeted species, thereby reducing the number of parent ions that may be used to conduct MS/MS experiments for quantitation or other diagnostic studies. We show that conducting differential mobility-based separations prior to mass analysis allows the isolation of targeted analytes from electrosprayed mixtures preventing the indiscriminate introduction of matrix ions and premature trap saturation with analytically unrelated species. Coupling these two analytical techniques is shown to enhance the detection of a targeted drug metabolite from a biological matrix. In its capacity as a selective ion filter, the DMS can improve the analytical performance of analyzers such as quadrupole (3D or linear) and ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) ion traps that depend on ion accumulation.

Recent developments of miniature ion trap mass spectrometers

The recent development of miniature ion trap mass spectrometer systems in the last ten years is reviewed in this paper. These instruments adopt different atmospheric pressure interfaces (APIs), which are membrane inlets (MIs), discontinuous atmospheric pressure interface (DAPI) and continuous atmospheric pressure interface (CAPI).     

Rapidly switchable matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization and electrospray quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry for protein identification

We describe a new interface for a prototype quadrupole-quadrupole-time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometer (Centaur, Sciex) that allows rapid switching between electrospray ionization (ESI) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) modes of operation. Instrument performance in both modes is comparable (i.e., resolution approximately 10,000 FWHM, mass accuracy <10 ppm, sensitivity approximately 1 fmol) because the ion source is decoupled from the TOF mass analyzer by extensive gas collisions in the quadrupole stages of the instrument. The capacity to obtain side-by-side high quality ESI and MALDI mass spectra from a single proteolytic mixture greatly facilitates the identification of proteins and elucidation of their primary structures. Improved strategies for protein identification result from this ability to measure spectra using both ionization modes in the same instrument and to perform MS/MS on singly charged as well as multiply charged ions. Examples are provided to demonstrate the utility and performance of the modified instrument.     

Measurement and Visualization of Mass Transport for the Flowing Atmospheric Pressure Afterglow (FAPA) Ambient Mass-Spectrometry Source

Ambient desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (ADI-MS) has developed into an important analytical field over the last 9 years. The ability to analyze samples under ambient conditions while retaining the sensitivity and specificity of mass spectrometry has led to numerous applications and a corresponding jump in the popularity of this field. Despite the great potential of ADI-MS, problems remain in the areas of ion identification and quantification. Difficulties with ion identification can be solved through modified instrumentation, including accurate-mass or MS/MS capabilities for analyte identification. More difficult problems include quantification because of the ambient nature of the sampling process. To characterize and improve sample volatilization, ionization, and introduction into the mass spectrometer interface, a method of visualizing mass transport into the mass spectrometer is needed. Schlieren imaging is a well-established technique that renders small changes in refractive index visible. Here, schlieren imaging was used to visualize helium flow from a plasma-based ADI-MS source into a mass spectrometer while ion signals were recorded. Optimal sample positions for melting-point capillary and transmission-mode (stainless steel mesh) introduction were found to be near (within 1 mm of) the mass spectrometer inlet. Additionally, the orientation of the sampled surface plays a significant role. More efficient mass transport resulted for analyte deposits directly facing the MS inlet. Different surfaces (glass slide and rough surface) were also examined; for both it was found that the optimal position is immediately beneath the MS inlet.