Discontinuous atmospheric pressure interface for mass spectrometry using a solenoid pulse valve

Rationale For the development of on‐site mass spectrometry for security and safety, point‐of‐care analysis, etc., the gas volume introduced into the vacuum should be reduced to a minimum. To cope with this demand, a discontinuous atmospheric pressure interface using a solenoid pulse valve was develo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Rapid communications in mass spectrometry 2016-08, Vol.30 (16), p.1870-1874
Main Authors: Usmanov, Dilshadbek T., Hiraoka, Kenzo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alternating current
Atmospheric pressure
Barometric pressure
Explosives detection
Mass spectrometers
Mass spectrometry
Solenoids
Valves
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Summary:Rationale For the development of on‐site mass spectrometry for security and safety, point‐of‐care analysis, etc., the gas volume introduced into the vacuum should be reduced to a minimum. To cope with this demand, a discontinuous atmospheric pressure interface using a solenoid pulse valve was developed. Methods The sample gas was introduced discontinuously into the ionization cell with a volume of 0.17 cm3. The sampled gas in the cell was ionized by an alternating current (ac) corona discharge. The generated ions were sampled through a 0.25 mm i.d. and 12 mm long nickel capillary into the vacuum of a time‐of‐flight mass spectrometer. Results A gas flow rate of ~25 mL/min was achieved with the 1 Hz pulse valve operation and 20 ms valve opening time. Sub‐ng limits of detection for less volatile compounds such as explosives and drugs were obtained. Conclusions Due to its compact size and low gas load to the vacuum, this new interface may be useful for applications in miniaturized mass spectrometry. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ISSN:0951-4198
1097-0231
DOI:10.1002/rcm.7654