Micromass UK Limited

Micromass Limited

Miromass UK Limited

Kevin Giles

Jason Lee Wildgoose

Steven Derek Pringle

Martin Raymond Green

Robert Harold Bateman

David John Langridge

Keith George Richardson

Daniel James Kenny

Steve Pringle

John Brian Hoyes

Jeffery Mark Brown

Jakub Ujma

Paul Robert Murray

Richard Barrington Moulds

Jeff Brown

Christopher Clarkson Jones

David Gordon

Michael Raymond Morris

Farnoush Salarzaei

James Paul Harrison

Bharat Chande

Darren Hewitt

Jason Lee Woldgoose

Iain Campuzano

Chris Hughes

Sandra Richardson

Nick Tomczyk

Graham Scambler

Martin Palmer

Eleanor Riches

A method of selecting ions comprises selecting ions corresponding to a target ion of interest by separating analyte ions according to their ion mobility, isolating first ions of the analyte ions, separating the first ions according to their ion mobility, and isolating second ions of the first ions. Preferably, the separation is accomplished by using a cyclic or closed-loop separator.

Method of selecting ions by ion mobility separation and isolation of ions

An analytical device for analysing ions is provided comprising a separatorfor separating ions according to a physico-chemical property and an interfacecomprising one or more ion guides. A quadrupole rod set mass filteris arranged downstream of the interface. A control system is arranged and adapted: (i) to transmit a first group of ions which emerges from the separatorthrough the interfacewith a first transit time t1 and

Optimized ion mobility separation timescales for targeted ions

An ion guide or ion trap that comprises a plurality of electrodes () is disclosed. The ion guide or ion trap includes a detector () that can detect light or particles () emitted from the ion guide or ion trap due to electrical breakdown, and a control circuit () that can control the ion guide or ion trap in response to the detector () detecting light or particles () emitted from the ion guide or ion trap.

Ion guide

A method of introducing and ejecting ions from an ion entry/exit device () is disclosed. The ion entry/exit device () has at least two arrays of electrodes (). The device is operated in a first mode wherein DC potentials are successively applied to successive electrodes of at least one of the electrode arrays (() in a first direction such that a potential barrier moves along the at least one array in the first direction and drives ions into and/or out of the device in the first direction. The device is also operated in a second mode, wherein DC potentials are successively applied to successive electrodes of at least one of the electrode arrays () in a second, different direction such that a potential barrier moves along the array in the second direction and drives ions into and/or out of the device in the second direction. The device provides a single, relatively simple device for manipulating ions in multiple directions. For example, the device may be used to load ions into or eject ions from an ion mobility separator in a first direction, and may then be used to cause ions to move through the ion mobility separator in the second direction so as to cause the ions to separate.

Ion entry/exit device

A method of encoding a parent or precursor ion beam to aid product ion assignment is disclosed. According to an embodiment the energy of parent ions entering a collision cellis progressively increased. Different species of parent ions fragment at different collision energies. Fragment ion intensity profiles are matched with parent ion intensity profiles to correlate fragment ions with corresponding parent ions.

Encoding of precursor ion beam to aid product ion assignment

A method of identifying and/or characterising ions comprises separating analyte ions according to a first physico-chemical property (ion-mobility), selecting first ions of the analyte ions, and activating, fragmenting or reacting the first ions to produce first product ions, separating the first product ions according to the first physico-chemical property, and determining a pattern of the first product ions. The first ions are identified and/or characterised using the pattern of the first product ions.

Method of characterising molecules by ion-mobility spectrometry

A method of ion mobility and/or mass spectrometry is disclosed in which the ion mobility and/or mass to charge ratio of an ion is determined using an algorithm or relationship that relates the transit time or average ion velocity of the ion through an ion separation device in which one or more time-varying electric field is used to separate ions passing therethrough to one or more parameters for the device, the mass to charge ratio of the ion and the ion mobility of the ion.

Mobility and mass measurement using time-varying electric fields

A method of filtering ions according to their ion mobility using a device is disclosed, the method comprising a plurality of electrodes and one or more voltage source(s) arranged and adapted to apply voltages to the plurality of electrodes, the method comprising, generating using the one or more voltage source(s) one or more local separation region(s), wherein ions can be separated within each local separation region according to their ion mobility, and moving each local separation region axially along the device with a certain velocity such that, for each local separation region, ions having a value of their ion mobility falling within a selected range are transmitted axially along the device with that local separation region whereas ions having higher and/or lower ion mobility falling outside that range escape the local separation region, wherein any ions that escape the local separation region(s) are removed from within the device and/or otherwise kept apart from those ions falling within the selected range(s).

Ion filtering devices

There is provided a method comprising separating a first population of ions according to a first physico-chemical property in a first separation device, and separating one or more groups of ions emerging from the first separation device in a drift tube and sampling each group of ions using the drift tube to determine the collision cross section of ions in each group of ions, wherein each group of ions corresponds to a range of the first physico-chemical property. The drift tube is configured such that multiple groups of ions in the first population of ions can be sampled by the drift tube in a single cycle of separation of the first separation device. The step of sampling each group of ions comprises determining the mobility of ions in each group of ions by measuring their drift time through the drift tube, and determining the collision cross section of the ions in each group of ions using the determined mobility.

Post-separation mobility analyser and method for determining ion collision cross-sections

A method of controlling the operation of an ion mobility separation device is disclosed. The method comprises displaying to a user via a user interface a pool of modes of operation of the ion mobility separation device, wherein each one of the modes is selectable by the user for inclusion in an experiment, and the modes are displayed in a first areaof the user interface. The method comprises receiving, via the user interface, an indication from the user of a selection of one or more instance of each one of a plurality of the modes from the pool to be included in an experiment, and an indication from the user of a set of one or more parameters for controlling the ion mobility separation device in respect of one or more selected instances of a mode. The selected instances of modes are displayed in a sequence in a second areaof the user interface. The operation of the ion mobility separation device is controlled in accordance with the received indications.

User interface for ion mobility separation device

A mass spectrometer is disclosed comprising an ion mobility spectrometer or separator and an ion guide arranged downstream of the ion mobility spectrometer or separator. A plurality of axial potential wells are created in the ion guide so that ions received from the ion mobility spectrometer or separator become confined in separate axial potential wells. The potential wells maintain the fidelity and/or composition of ions received from the ion mobility spectrometer or separator. The potential wells are translated along the length of the ion guide.

Mass spectrometer

There is provided a method of guiding ions, comprising providing an ion guide comprising a plurality of electrodes, confining ions radially within said ion guide by applying one or more voltages to said plurality of electrodes, applying an orthogonal DC field along at least a portion of said ion guide in order to control the temperature of ions as they travel through said ion guide, and applying an electrostatic driving potential to said plurality of electrodes to urge ions along the axial length of the ion guide, wherein said electrostatic driving potential is applied in the form of a DC travelling wave potential or other transient DC potential.

Controlling ion temperature in an ion guide

An analytical device for analysing ions is provided comprising a separatorfor separating ions according to a physico-chemical property and an interfacecomprising one or more ion guides. A quadrupole rod set mass filteris arranged downstream of the interfaceA control system is arranged and adapted: (i) to transmit a first group of ions which emerges from the separatorthrough the interfacewith a first transit time tand (ii) to transmit a second group of ions which subsequently emerges from the separatorthrough the interfacewith a second different transit time t

Optimised ion mobility separation timescales for targeted ions

A method of mass spectrometry or ion mobility spectrometry is disclosed comprising: providing ions towards an ion storage region; selecting a target maximum charge desired to be stored within the ion storage region at any given time; and reducing the ion current passing to the ion storage region such that the ions entering the ion storage region do not cause the total charge within the storage region to rise above said target maximum charge. The step of reducing the ion current passing to the ion storage region comprises: temporally separating the ions according to their ion mobility in an ion mobility separator; and mass filtering the ions according to mass to charge ratio with a mass filter. Said steps of separating and mass filtering the ions result in substantially only target ions having selected combinations of ion mobility and mass to charge ratio being transmitted towards the ion storage region. The method further comprises accumulating the target ions within the ion storage region during an ion accumulation period.

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Stockport, United Kingdom

Kevin Giles