Ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry instrumentation

The potential of ultr igh-resolution mass spectrometry for the analysis of complex chemical mixtures is particularly illustrated by FT-ICR-MS, which currently is the definite standard. Ultrahigh resolution was applied to separate several thousand components in crude oil [99,100], fuels [101,102], or explosion residues [103]. Actually, the attempts to analyze dissolved organic matter (DOM) and similar complex humic systems present another prominent field of application requiring the ultimate performance of FT-ICR instruments equipped with magnets of up to 15 T field strength [104]. 

FT-ICR mass spectrometry offers ultrahigh resolution. This feature is a result of the large numbers of cyclotron orbits during detection and the fact that cyclotron frequency is independent of ion velocity. Performance is not limited by the initial position, direction or speed of the ions, unlike mass spectrometers such as time-of-flight or sector instruments. 

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