MAGIC® Monodisperse Aerosol

MAGIC (Monodisperse Aerosol Generating Interface for Chromatography), Thermabeam and Universal interfaces. 

MAGIC monodisperse aerosol generation interface for chromatography... 

A particle-beam interface is a useful device that can provide library-searchable El spectra of LC-separated solutes [6,32-36]. This device uses a jet separator to free the solute molecules from volatile solvents and produces a high-velocity particle beam of gas-phase solute particles. The original device was termed MAGIC (monodisperse aerosol generating interface for chromatography) by its inventors [36]. 

The particle beam interface (Fig. 6) was created under the acronym MAGIC (monodisperse aerosol generator interface for chromatography) [28]. Now, the aerosol is produced by a variety of means (with auxiliary gas, thermospray, or ultrasonic nebulizers) at atmospheric pressure and a uniform distribution of the droplets results in particles of a narrow size distribution, which can be handled more efficiently by the separator. The droplets are dried to particles in a heated expansion chamber, and a momentum separator isolates the particles from the gas. In the source, the particles are destroyed by impact and the sample is released and ionized by using El, Cl, or even FAB. The appearance of the El spectra is almost identical to conventional El spectra obtained by direct probe or GC/MS. Therefore, library searches are possible, which is the major advantage of this interface. 

The PBI was originally developed as a monodisperse aerosol generating interface for chromatography (MAGIC) by the research group of Browner [80-81]. The design objective of MAGIC was the development of an LC-MS interface with El capabilities, minimum peak distortion, and without a thermal desorption step, as is required in the MBI. 

A commercially available PBI interface was the product of results Willoughby and Browner obtained from monodisperse aerosol generation interface, also known by its acronym MAGIC-LC-MS [70]. But the impact on LC-MS analyses was reduced because of unsatisfactory detection Hmits associated with the use of a broad spectrum of analytes. This drawback could not be compensated by the advantage that the production of Hbrary-searchable El spectra represented. 

The vibrating orifice method for producing monodisperse liquid aerosols, combined with drying or chemical reaction in a flame, comes about as close to being a magic particle maker as any technique we are aware of. 

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