Tofwerk Ag

Urs Rohner

Marc Gonin

Martin Tanner

Christian Tanner

Carsten Stoermer

Joel Kimmel

Sonja Klee

Steffen Bräkling

The invention relates to a method for mass analysing a sample by ionising the sample to first sample ions and to second sample ions and by obtaining mass spectra from the first sample ions and the second sample ions with a mass analyser (). Thereby, repeatedly, a first assay is obtained from the sample and transferred past any chromatography column to a first ion source () and ionised by the first ion source () to the first sample ions, wherein the first sample ions obtained from the respective first assay are transferred to the mass analyser (), wherein at least one first mass spectrum is obtained with the mass analyser () from the first sample ions obtained from the respective first assay and ionised by and transferred from the first ion source (). Furthermore, at least once, a second assay is obtained from the sample within a time window being associated with the respective second assay and having a window width, wherein the respective second assay is transferred for chromatographic separation via a chromatography column () to at least one second ion source () in that after being chromatographically separated, the respective second assay eluting from the chromatography column () is transferred to the at least one second ion source () and ionised by the at least one second ion source () to the second sample ions, wherein the second sample ions obtained from the respective second assay are transferred to the mass analyser (), wherein at least one second mass spectrum is obtained with the mass analyser () from the second sample ions obtained from the respective second assay which has been ionised by and transferred from the at least one second ion source (). Thereby, each one of the at least one second mass spectrum is assigned to one or more of the at least one first mass spectrum from the first sample ions obtained from one of the first assays which has been obtained from the sample within the time window associated with the respective second assay which has been chromatographically separated and ionised by the at least one second ion source () to the second sample ions from which the respective one of the at least one second mass spectrum has been obtained. Furthermore, the invention relates to an apparatus () for mass analysing a sample with the method according to the invention.

Method and apparatus for mass analysing a sample

The invention relates to an ion source () for generating elemental ions and/or ionized metal oxides from aerosol particles, comprising: a reduced pressure chamber () having an inside; an inlet () and a flow restricting device () for inserting the aerosol particles in a dispersion comprising the aerosol particles dispersed in a gas, in particular in air, into the inside of the reduced pressure chamber (), the inlet () fluidly coupling an outside of the reduced pressure chamber () via the flow restricting device () with the inside of the reduced pressure chamber (); a laser () for inducing in a plasma region () in the inside of the reduced pressure chamber () a plasma in the dispersion for atomizing and ionizing the aerosol particles to elemental ions and/or ionized metal oxides; wherein the reduced pressure chamber () is adapted for achieving and maintaining in the inside of the reduced pressure chamber () a pressure in a range from 0.01 mbar to 100 mbar. The invention further relates to a method for generating elemental ions and/or ionized metal oxides from aerosol particles, comprising the steps of inserting aerosol particles in a dispersion comprising the aerosol particles dispersed in a gas, in particular in air, through an inlet () via a flow restricting device () into an inside of a reduced pressure chamber (), while maintaining in the inside of the reduced pressure chamber () a pressure in a range from 0.01 mbar to 100 mbar, preferably from 0.1 mbar to 100 mbar or from 1 mbar to 100 mbar, particular preferably from 0.1 mbar to 50 mbar or from 1 mbar to 50 mbar, most preferably from 0.1 mbar to 40 mbar or from 1 mbar to 40 mbar; and inducing with a laser () in a plasma region () in the inside of the reduced pressure chamber () a plasma in the dispersion for atomizing and ionizing the aerosol particles to elemental ions and/or ionized metal oxides, wherein the laser () is adapted for inducing in the plasma region () in the inside of the reduced pressure chamber () the plasma in the gas of the dispersion for atomizing and ionizing the aerosol particles to elemental ions.

Ion source and method for generating elemental ions from aerosol particles

A device for mass spectrometry comprises an ionization source, a mass analyzer fluidly coupled to the ionization source and an electronic data acquisition system for processing signals provided by the mass analyzer. The electronic data acquisition system comprises at least one analog-to-digital converter () producing digitized data from the signals obtained from the mass analyzer and a fast processing unit () receiving the digitized data from said analog-to-digital converter (). The fast processing () unit is programmed to continuously, in real time inspect the digitized data for events of interest measured by the mass spectrometer; and the electronic data acquisition system is programmed to forward () the digitized data representing mass spectra relating to events of interest for further analysis and to reject the digitized data representing mass spectra not relating to events of interest. The device allows for maintaining efficiency at high speed by eliminating all processing times (idle time in acquisition) for data segments that do not contain information about events.

Device for mass spectrometry

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Thun, Switzerland

Urs Rohner