Process induced dissociation

A product ion scan. Source ions (mT, f,, . .., fs ) are selected by setting Ql, in this case, to pass only m,. Collisional activation of these ions in Q2 induces dissociation to give fragment ions (f,, fj, f, ), which are detected by scanning Q3. The symbolism for this process is shown. 

Collision of normal ions from the first quadrupole with gas molecules in the second quadrupole increases fragmentation, a process known as either collisionally induced dissociation (CID) or collisionally activated decomposition (CAD). 

CoIIisional activation. An ion/neutral process wherein excitation of a (fast) projectile ion is brought about by the same mechanism as in collision-induced dissociation. (The ion may decompose subsequently). 

Collision-induced dissociation (or decomposition), abbreviated CID. An ion/neutral process wherein the (fast) projectile ion is dissociated as a result of interaction with a target neutral species. This is brought about by conversion during the collision of part of the translational energy of the ion to internal energy in the ion. The term collisional-activated dissociation (or decomposition), abbreviated CAD, is also used. 

Collision-activated dissociation (CAD) The same process as collision-induced dissociation (CID). 

The apparatus and techniques of ion cyclotron resonance spectroscopy have been described in detail elsewhere. Ions are formed, either by electron impact from a volatile precursor, or by laser evaporation and ionization of a solid metal target (14), and allowed to interact with neutral reactants. Freiser and co-workers have refined this experimental methodology with the use of elegant collision induced dissociation experiments for reactant preparation and the selective introduction of neutral reactants using pulsed gas valves (15). Irradiation of the ions with either lasers or conventional light sources during selected portions of the trapped ion cycle makes it possible to study ion photochemical processes... 

In spite of the fact that in alkali vapors, which contain about 1 % diatomic alkali-molecules at a total vapor-pressure of 10 torr, the atoms cannot absorb laser lines (because there is no proper resonance transition), atomic fluorescence lines have been observed 04) upon irradiating the vapor cell with laser light. The atomic excited states can be produced either by collision-induced dissociation of excited molecules or by photodissociation from excited molecular states by a second photon. The latter process is not improbable, because of the large light intensities in the exciting laser beam. These questions will hopefully be solved by the investigations currently being performed in our laboratory. 

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