Gas Flow Dynamics in Inlet Capillaries: Evidence for non Laminar Conditions.

In this work, the characteristics of gas flow in inlet capillaries are examined. Such inlet capillaries are widely used as a first flow restriction stage in commercial atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometers. Contrary to the common assumption, we consider the gas flow in typical glass inlet capillaries with 0.

Are clusters important in understanding the mechanisms in atmospheric pressure ionization? Part 1: Reagent ion generation and chemical control of ion populations.

It is well documented since the early days of the development of atmospheric pressure ionization methods, which operate in the gas phase, that cluster ions are ubiquitous. This holds true for atmospheric pressure chemical ionization, as well as for more recent techniques, such as atmospheric pressure photoionization, direct analysis in real time, and many more. In fact, it is well established that cluster ions are the primary carriers of the net charge generated.

Studies of the mechanism of the cluster formation in a thermally sampling atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometer.

In this study a thermally sampling atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometer is described and characterized. The ion transfer stage offers the capability to sample cluster ions at thermal equilibrium and during this transfer fundamental processes possibly affecting the cluster distribution are also readily identified. Additionally, the transfer stage combines optional collision-induced dissociation (CID) analysis of the cluster composition with thermal equilibrium sampling of clusters.