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Ion fragmentation in an electrospray ionization mass spectrometer interface with different gases
B B Schneider1, D J Douglas, D D Chen
1Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T lZl, Canada.
Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry : RCM
|February 27, 2001
Summary
Curtain gases like nitrogen, argon, and krypton in mass spectrometry showed unexpected ion fragmentation. Gas condensation within the interface region, not just mass, influences fragmentation, impacting electrospray ionization efficiency.
Area of Science:
- Analytical Chemistry
- Physical Chemistry
Background:
- Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) utilizes curtain gases to control ion transfer.
- Ion fragmentation in the interface region affects ESI-MS sensitivity and data quality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of curtain gas properties (nitrogen, argon, krypton) on ion fragmentation in ESI-MS.
- To evaluate the validity of existing collision models for predicting fragmentation in the ESI-MS interface.
Main Methods:
- Experiments were conducted using an ESI-MS setup with varying curtain gases.
- Ion fragmentation was monitored between the orifice and skimmer.
- A condensation parameter was employed to analyze gas behavior in the free jet expansion.
Main Results:
- Observed ion fragmentation trends were contrary to predictions based on curtain gas mass.
- Argon and krypton exhibited reversed fragmentation patterns compared to nitrogen.
- Gas condensation within the free jet expansion was identified as a key factor influencing fragmentation.
Conclusions:
- The mass of the curtain gas is not the sole determinant of ion fragmentation in ESI-MS.
- Condensation of curtain gases significantly impacts ion fragmentation, necessitating model refinement.
- Minimizing the condensation parameter aligns experimental results with theoretical predictions.