Accelerator mass spectrometry overview

Historically, from the earliest days of mass spectrometry the most common method of ion activation has been coUisional activation (CA), whereby ions are accelerated through a defined potential drop and caused to collide with gas molecules that are deliberately introduced into the ion trajectory the history of this approach has been described in an excellent overview (Hu 1995). This involves conversion of part of the kinetic energy of the ion into internal energy (that in turn leads to fragmentation), and is still by far the most commonly used method. 

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