External Ion Sources for FT-ICR-MS

Ion traps, ICR eells as well as QITs, are best operated with the number of trapped ions elose to their respeetive optimum, beeause otherwise ion trajectories are distorted by eoulombie repulsion. Henee, external ion sourees in eombination with ion transfer opties eapable of eontrolling the number of ions injeeted are ideally attaehed to ion traps. Currently, MALDI [207] and ESI (Fig. 4.54) [192-194,199,208] ion sourees are predominating in FT-ICR work. The ion produetion may either be regulated by the souree itself, or alternatively, by some deviee to eolleet and store the desired amount of ions from that source until injection into the ICR. For that purpose, linear RF multipole ion traps are often employed (Chap. 4.4.6), [118,209] but other systems are also in use. [195] RF-only multipoles are eommonly used to transfer the ions into the cell (Chap. 4.4.4). For the injeetion, it is important to adjust the conditions so that the ions have low kinetic energy in z-direction in order not to overcome the shallow trapping potential. 

While some buffer gas is beneficial in case of QITs, ICR cells are preferably operated at the lowest pressure available. The typical path from an external ion source into the ICR cell is therefore characterized by multistep differential pumping to achieve some 10 -10 Pa in the cell. 

Note The need for almost perfect vacuum, i.e., extremely long mean free paths, in FT-ICR mass spectrometers arises from the combination of high ion velocities of several 10 m s observation intervals in the order of seconds, and the effect of collisions on peak shape. 

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