Electric sector instruments

The AutoSpec -TOF hybrid mass spectrometer combines the advantages of a magnetic/electric-sector instrument with those of time-of-flight to give a versatile instrument capable of MS or MS/MS at high or low resolution. 

Magnetic/electric-sector instruments are used to manipulate ion beams by making use of the deflection of charged species (ions) in magnetic or electric fields. 

This focusing action gives an ion beam, in which the m/z values can be measured so accurately that the resolution of a magnetic/electric-sector instrument (separation of ions of different m/z values) is measured as a few parts per million, compared to the more modest few parts per thousand in, say, a quadmpole or ion-trap instrument. 

GC can be combined with all kinds of mass spectrometers, but, for practical and economic reasons, only quadrupolar and magnetic/electric-sector instruments are in wide use. Ion traps can also be used. 

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