Indiana University

Battelle Memorial Institute

The United States of America As Represented by the Department of Energy

Kent State University

Other

Instrumentation Laboratory

Gary M Hieftje

Steven J Ray

Jacob T Shelley

Charles J Barinaga

David W Koppenaal

Francisco J Andrade

Christie Enke

Michael R Webb

Andrew J Schwartz

Alexander W Graham

Kelsey L Williams

Stanley B Smith, Jr

M Bonner Denton

Roger P Sperline

Eugene Atlas

Norris J Caldwell

David E Honigs

Kevin P Pfeuffer

William C Wetzel

Gerardo Gamez

George C Y Chan

James H Barnes, Iv

Min Wu

Gangqiang Li

John Shabushnig

David H Honigs

Elise Dennis

Thomas B Hirschfeld

A solution-cathode glow discharge mass spectrometry (SCGD-MS) apparatus comprises a SCGD source and a mass spectrometer. The SCGD source may comprise conductive rods, a power source, and a capillary. A method for ionizing an analyte comprises flowing an electrically conductive liquid onto a conductive rod, applying an electric potential to a second conductive rod such that a plasma discharge forms between the first conductive rod and the electrically conductive liquid to produce ions, and separating the ions in a mass spectrometer. The analyte may be a polypeptide that may be contacted with trypsin. The analyte may be a solid, liquid, gas, chemical complex, or ion in solution. The method may comprise sequencing the polypeptide.

Atmospheric-pressure ionization and fragmentation of molecules for structural elucidation

A solution-cathode glow discharge (SCGD) spectrometry apparatus may comprise an SCGD source and a mass or ion mobility spectrometer. A method for ionizing a molecular analyte may comprise contacting the molecular analyte with a plasma discharge to form ions and separating the ions in a mass spectrometer or ion mobility spectrometer. The contacting step may occur under atmospheric pressure and/or ambient conditions. The molecular analyte may be fragmented by the plasma discharge.

A method and apparatus for identification of a counterfeit electronic component, subjecting a suspected counterfeit electronic to an analytical method of ambient surface analysis to desorb and ionize compounds directly from a suspected counterfeit electronic surface with no pretreatment, detecting the resultant ions, comparing the identified ions to known standards, and returning a confidence that the suspected counterfeit electronic being analyzed is counterfeit.

Ambient sampling mass spectrometry and chemometric analysis for screening encapsulated electronic and electrical components for counterfeits

A combined distance-of-flight mass spectrometry (DOFMS) and time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS) instrument includes an ion source configured to produce ions having varying mass-to-charge ratios, a first detector configured to determine when each of the ions travels a predetermined distance, a second detector configured to determine how far each of the ions travels in a predetermined time, and a detector extraction region operable to direct portions of the ions either to the first detector or to the second detector.

Combined distance-of-flight and time-of-flight mass spectrometer

Novel methods and instrumentation for mass spectrometry are described. Zoom-time of flight mass spectrometry (Zoom-TOF) allows increased mass resolution over a pre-determined specific range of masses. Methods for retrofitting traditional time-of-flight (TOF) and distance of flight (DOF) mass spectrometers are described, as well as novel instruments capable of performing Zoom-TOF analyses.

Method for enhancement of mass resolution over a limited mass range for time-of-flight spectrometry

Disclosed is an apparatus for performing mass spectrometry and a method of analyzing a sample through mass spectrometry. In particular, the disclosure relates to an apparatus capable of ambient mass spectrometry and mass spectral imaging and a method for the same. The apparatus couples laser ablation, flowing atmospheric-pressure afterglow ionization, and a mass spectrometer.

Laser ablation flowing atmospheric-pressure afterglow for ambient mass spectrometry

An ambient atmosphere glow discharge spectrometer is disclosed having a capillary, two electrodes and a means for recording the atomic emissions.

Ambient-atmosphere glow discharge for determination of elemental concentration in solutions in a high-throughput or transient fashion

A method for ionizing and desorbing a sample for analysis includes energizing a first and second electrode to produce a glow discharge at atmospheric pressure. The method further includes supplying a carrier gas to at least a portion of the glow discharge to create effluents thereof. The method further includes conducting the effluents of the glow discharge to the sample to ionize and desorb the sample for analysis. An associated apparatus is also disclosed.

Methods and apparatus for ionization and desorption using a glow discharge

A method for detecting and correcting inaccurate results in inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). ICP-AES analysis is performed across a plurality of selected locations in the plasma on an unknown sample, collecting the light intensity at one or more selected wavelengths of one or more sought-for analytes, creating a first dataset. The first dataset is then calibrated with a calibration dataset creating a calibrated first dataset curve. If the calibrated first dataset curve has a variability along the location within the plasma for a selected wavelength, errors are present. Plasma-related errors are then corrected by diluting the unknown sample and performing the same ICP-AES analysis on the diluted unknown sample creating a calibrated second dataset curve (accounting for the dilution) for the one or more sought-for analytes. The cross-over point of the calibrated dataset curves yields the corrected value (free from plasma related errors) for each sought-for analyte.

Methods for detecting and correcting inaccurate results in inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry

A charged particle detector and method are disclosed providing for simultaneous detection and measurement of charged particles at one or more levels of particle flux in a measurement cycle. The detector provides multiple and independently selectable levels of integration and/or gain in a fully addressable readout manner.

Method and apparatus for simultaneous detection and measurement of charged particles at one or more levels of particle flux for analysis of same

A method and apparatus for operating a mass spectrometer include providing at least two different ion sources, and coupling ion streams simultaneously from the at least two different ion sources to the spectrometer. Another method of operating a spectrometer includes a first coupling an ion stream from a first one of the ion sources into the spectrometer, next coupling an ion stream from a second one of the ion sources into the spectrometer, next coupling an ion stream from the second one of the ion sources into the spectrometer, and next coupling an ion stream from the first one of the ion sources into the spectrometer.

Simultaneous acquisition of chemical information

A novel, time-of-flight mass spectrometer for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of elemental, molecular, and isotopic chemical samples is provided which offers increased sensitivity, speed of analysis, resolving power, and signal-to-noise ratios than prior mass spectrometers by properly sampling and collimating an ion beam from a continuous ion source, decelerating said ion, forming ion packets from the continuous ion beam, storing said ion packets, extracting and accelerating the ion packets along a stable flight path, transversely compressing said packets, focusing ions of similar mass, and detecting the focused ion masses. The mass spectrometer includes an ion optics assembly and an analyzer disposed along a common axis coincident with a continuous beam of sampled ions. The relationship between the ion extractor and accelerator are such that ions of isomass are focused at at least one point in space in the analyzer along a narrow flight path so as to be either removed from the flight path or allowed to proceed and be detected at substantially the same time. The separate modulation and extraction steps, when coupled with the space-focusing and selected deflection of certain ionic species, results in higher sensitivity, greater analysis speed, higher resolving power, and improved signal-to-noise ratio than achieved in prior orthogonal or on-axis time-of-flight mass spectrometers. A novel method achieved by the apparatus is also disclosed.

Time-of-flight mass spectrometer

Described is a preferred rotary spray chamber device for conditioning an aerosol. The device has chamber walls defining an internal chamber and an inlet opening into the internal chamber. The inlet opening is located such that an aerosol directed into the chamber through the inlet opening tangentially contacts chamber wall areas adapted to impart a rotary motion to the aerosol within the chamber. An impact member extends inwardly into the chamber from a chamber wall location such that the member is impacted by the aerosol in its rotary motion so as to remove large droplets and thus form a conditioned aerosol. An exit opening is defined by the chamber walls through which the conditioned aerosol can exit the chamber, and a drain opening is also defined by the chamber walls through which liquid removed from the aerosol and collected in the chamber can exit the chamber.

Rotary spray chamber device for conditioning aerosols

Methods are disclosed for quantifying physical properties of gaseous, liquid or solid samples. The near-infrared absorbance spectra of a representative field of calibration samples are measured and recorded using a spectrophotometer. The absorbance spectra of the calibration samples are evaluated by a row-reduction algorithm to determine which wavelengths in the near-infrared spectrum, and associated weighting constants, are statistically correlated to the physical property being quantified. The near-infrared absorbance of actual samples is then measured at each of the correlated wavelengths, and then corrected by the corresponding weighting constants. A reference value for the physical property being quantified is then computed from the corrected measure of the absorbance of the sample at each of the correlated wavelengths.

Methods and devices for near-infrared evaluation of physical properties

A method is presented for spectral reconstruction which comprises first obtaining component concentrations of a series of mixtures, which component concentrations constitute a set of reference values. The spectral value of each member of that series of mixtures is measured at a first wavelength, which spectral value possesses contribution from individual components in the mixture, whose individual contribution is unknown. The spectral values for the series of mixtures are then mathematically cross-correlated with the component concentrations in said series of mixtures, at the first wavelength, thereby obtaining the spectral contribution for said components at that first wavelength. The spectral value of each member of that series of mixtures is measured at the second wavelength, which spectral values are then cross-correlated with component concentrations in the series of mixtures thereby obtaining the spectral contribution for said components at the second wavelength. This operation is repeated for a series of wavelengths until the spectrum of the desired component in the mixture is reconstructed. Devices are presented which implement the methods for spectral reconstruction of the present invention.

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Bloomington, IN, United States of America

Gary M Hieftje