Abstract: The invention relates to a method for mass analysing positively charged ions and negatively charged ions with a mass analyser arrangement (10). The method includes inserting the positively charged ions and the negatively charged ions via an intake (13) of the mass analyser arrangement (10) into a mass analysis chamber (14) of the mass analyser arrangement (10). Furthermore, the method includes transferring inside the mass analysis chamber (14) the positively charged ions from the intake (13) to a first mass analyser (11) of the mass analyser arrangement (10) and mass analysing the positively charged ions with the first mass analyser (11) and transferring inside the mass analysis chamber (14) the negatively charged ions from the intake (13) to a second mass analyser (12) of the mass analyser arrangement (10) and mass analysing the negatively charged ions with the second mass analyser (12).

Abstract: 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 (5). Thereby, repeatedly, a first assay is obtained from the sample and transferred past any chromatography column to a first ion source (2) and ionised by the first ion source (2) to the first sample ions, wherein the first sample ions obtained from the respective first assay are transferred to the mass analyser (5), wherein at least one first mass spectrum is obtained with the mass analyser (5) from the first sample ions obtained from the respective first assay and ionised by and transferred from the first ion source (2).

Abstract: The invention relates to an ion source (50) for generating elemental ions and/or ionized metal oxides from aerosol particles, comprising: a reduced pressure chamber (61) having an inside; an inlet (56) and a flow restricting device (60) 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 (61), the inlet (60) fluidly coupling an outside of the reduced pressure chamber (61) via the flow restricting device (60) with the inside of the reduced pressure chamber (60); a laser (62) for inducing in a plasma region (63) in the inside of the reduced pressure chamber (61) 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 (61) is adapted for achieving and maintaining in the inside of the reduced pressure chamber (61) a pressure in a range from 0.01 mbar to 100 mbar.

Abstract: 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 (10) producing digitized data from the signals obtained from the mass analyzer and a fast processing unit (47) receiving the digitized data from said analog-to-digital converter (10). The fast processing (47) 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 (23) 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.

Abstract: The invention relates to an ion source (50) for generating elemental ions and/or ionised metal oxides from aerosol particles, comprising: a reduced pressure chamber (61) having an inside; an inlet (56) and a flow restricting device (60) 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 (61), the inlet (60) fluidly coupling an outside of the reduced pressure chamber (61) via the flow restricting device (60) with the inside of the reduced pressure chamber (60); a laser (62) for inducing in a plasma region (63) in the inside of the reduced pressure chamber (61) a plasma in the dispersion for atomising and ionising the aerosol particles to elemental ions and/or ionised metal oxides; wherein the reduced pressure chamber (61) is adapted for achieving and maintaining in the inside of the reduced pressure chamber (61) a pressure in a range from 0.01 mbar to 100 mbar.

Abstract: 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 (10) producing digitized data from the signals obtained from the mass analyzer and a fast processing unit (47) receiving the digitized data from said analog-to-digital converter (10). The fast processing (47) 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 (23) 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.