Mass spectrometers interfaceable history

Mass spectrometry today stands as one of the most sophisticated and refined analytical instruments in history, and a position could be taken that there is little more inside the vacuum chamber to improve. The interface to ion sources operated at ambient pressure, however, is positioned for opportunity to innovate, create, and generally advance much of the practice and value of MS. We believe this will occur with ion mobility methods placed between these ion sources and the vacuum flange of the mass spectrometer, that is, mobility instruments operated at ambient pressure for IM-MS methods. While most IMS instruments will not be interfaced to MS, most MS instruments will be interfaced to IMS. 

The following table provides guidance in the recognition and interpretation of potentially spurious signals (m/z peaks) that will sometimes be observed in measured mass spectra (Ref. 1). Often, the occurrence of these signals can be predicted by the recent history of the instrument or the method being used. This is especially true if the mass spectrometer is interfaced to a gas chromatograph. 

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