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Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Analysis of Volatile and Oxidation Sensitive Compounds Using a Cold Inlet System and Electron Impact Mass Spectrometry
Published on: September 5, 2014
A new tandem mass spectrometer for photofragment spectroscopy of cold, gas-phase molecular ions
Annette Svendsen1, Ulrich J Lorenz, Oleg V Boyarkin
1Laboratoire de Chimie Physique Moléculaire, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, EPFL SB ISIC LCPM, Station 6, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
Abstract:
We present here the design of a new tandem mass spectrometer that combines an electrospray ion source with a cryogenically cooled ion trap for spectroscopic studies of cold, gas-phase ions. The ability to generate large ions in the gas phase without fragmentation, cool them to approximately 10 K in an ion trap, and perform photofragment spectroscopy opens up new possibilities for spectroscopic characterization of large biomolecular ions. The incorporation of an ion funnel, together with a number of small enhancements, significantly improves the sensitivity, signal stability, and ease of use compared with the previous instrument built in our laboratory.
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