Analytical Instrument Documents

Notebook containing various articles and application notes pertaining to the AccuTOF DART.

Mass Spectrometry (MS) is one of the fastest-growing areas in analytical instrumentation. The use of mass spectrometry in support of synthetic, organic, and pharmaceutical chemistry is well established. Mass spectrometry is also used in materials science, environmental research, and forensic chemistry. It has also evolved into one of the core methods used in biotechnology. However, currently available ion sources place extreme restrictions on the speed and convenience of sample analysis by mass spectrometry. Here we report a method for using mass spectrometry to instantaneously analyze gases, liquids, and solids in open air at ground potential under ambient conditions. Traditional ion sources used in mass spectrometry require the introduction of samples into a high vacuum system.

Elemental compositions are commonly determined from high-resolution mass spectra and accurate mass measurements. Given a measured mass (m/z) and a range of elements that can be present, software calculates the exact mass for each combination of elements and reports all elemental combinations that match the measured mass within a specified error tolerance. Improving the mass accuracy reduces the number of elemental compositions, but mass accuracy alone may not be sufficient to determine the correct elemental composition for an unknown sample. JEOL AccuTOF™ mass spectrometers (the AccuTOF™-DART®, the AccuTOF™-GCX and the AccuTOF™-GCX Plus) are capable of accurate isotope measurements that can be used to determine elemental compositions from high-resolution mass spectra. Matching the measured abundances and exact masses for isotope peaks can be more effective than mass accuracy alone.

JEOL introduced the AccuTOF-DART in 2005 as the first commercially available ambient ionization mass spectrometer system. The atmospheric pressure ionization interface (API) for the AccuTOF system, originally designed as a simple, rugged and reliable LC/MS interface, became the ideal platform for developing the Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART) ion source. Because the DART ion source can be positioned directly in front of the AccuTOF sampling orifice without additional interface hardware, a variety of ambient ionization techniques are available to the AccuTOF-DART operator without removing the DART ion source. The third-generation AccuTOF-DART 4G system is an “ambient ionization toolbox” that allows the analyst to choose ionization methods that are best matched to the samples to be analyzed.

Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the AccuTOF atmospheric pressure interface. The API consists of two offaxis skimmers (designated “orifice 1” and “orifice 2”) with an intermediate ring lens, followed by a bent RF ion guide. The off-axis skimmer design traps contamination -- ions are electrostatically guided upward toward orifice 2 whereas neutral molecules are pumped downward. Any contamination that enters the API is either pumped away into the rough pump (RP) or trapped on the lower part of orifice 2. The bent RF ion guide provides an additional level of protection. This makes the AccuTOF an ideal mass spectrometer for DART analysis of dirty “real-world” samples such as mud, biological fluids, melted chocolate, polymers, and even crude oil. In addition, orifice 1 is easily accessible and is operated at low voltage and current, making it a convenient platform for ambient ionization sources.