Coupling an electrospray source and a solids probe/chemical ionization source to a selected ion flow tube apparatus

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Physical Chemistry
• Mass Spectrometry

Background:

• Selected ion flow tube (SIFT) mass spectrometry is a powerful technique for studying ion-molecule reactions.
• Developing versatile ion sources is crucial for expanding the applicability of SIFT instruments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To construct and evaluate a new ion source region for a variable temperature selected ion flow tube.
• To assess the performance of electron impact, chemical ionization, solids probe, and electrospray ionization capabilities.

Main Methods:

• Construction of a new multi-functional ion source region.
• Integration with a variable temperature selected ion flow tube.
• Characterization through various ion-molecule reaction studies.

Main Results:

• The chemical ionization source produced H3O+ ions, though less efficiently than larger aperture sources.
• The solids probe enabled the generation of rhenium cations (Re+, Re22+) for reaction studies.
• The electrospray source generated Ba+ ions for subsequent reaction with N2O.

Conclusions:

• The new ion source significantly expands the capabilities of the selected ion flow tube instrument.
• Reactions of rhenium ions (Re+, Re22+) with O2 and barium ions (Ba+) with N2O were successfully studied, yielding rate constants in agreement with literature values.
• The instrument's performance was validated across multiple ionization techniques and ion species.