Repurposing a Q-ToF Collision Cell into a Stacked-Ring Ion Trap for Controlled Ion-Molecule Reactions with Minimal...

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Physical Chemistry

Background:

• Ion-molecule reactions are crucial for understanding chemical processes.
• Studying these reactions typically requires specialized equipment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate that ion-molecule reactions can be studied on a commercial quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer (Q-ToF MS).
• To achieve this by reconfiguring the collision cell into a stacked-ring ion trap (SRIT) without mechanical changes.

Main Methods:

• Electronically reconfigured a commercial Q-ToF MS collision cell into a SRIT.
• Stored various ions, including large biomolecules like lysozyme and cytochrome c.
• Performed proton-transfer reactions and analyzed product ions.
• Assessed ion stability and temperature during trapping.

Main Results:

• Successfully trapped ions with m/z from 59 to 1788 (lysozyme 7+).
• Observed both high and low m/z product ions from a single precursor ion in a proton-transfer reaction.
• Demonstrated stable ion confinement for at least 2 seconds with minimal collisional heating.
• Ion temperatures remained near room temperature.

Conclusions:

• Repurposing a Q-ToF MS collision cell into a SRIT is a straightforward method for studying ion-molecule reactions.
• This approach enables near-ambient condition studies on commercial instruments.
• The method is valuable for fundamental gas-phase ion chemistry and analytical applications.