Abstract: The invention relates to instruments for storing ions in more than one ion storage device and to the use of the storage bank thus created. The ion storage bank includes several storage cells configured as RF multipole rod systems, where the cells contain damping gas and are arranged in parallel. Each pair of pole rods is used jointly by two immediately adjacent storage cells such that the ions collected can be transported from one storage cell to the next by briefly applying DC or AC voltages to individual pairs of pole rods. The ions can thus be transported to storage cells in which they are fragmented or reactively modified, or from which they can be fed to other spectrometers. In particular, a circular arrangement of the storage cells on a virtual cylindrical surface makes it possible to accumulatively fill the storage cells with ions of specific fractions from temporally sequenced separation runs.

Abstract: In an ion mobility spectrometer, ions are generated, mobility-separated and deposited on a receiver, preferably at spatially separated positions by soft landing or crash landing techniques. The ion mobility spectrometer can be a stand-alone instrument or part of a hybrid analysis instrument. To analyze the deposited ions, the receiver is removed from the vacuum system of the ion mobility spectrometer and introduced into an analytical instrument. Various physical, chemical, and biological analysis techniques and instrumentation can be used, such as mass spectrometry or surface analytical techniques, by selecting a special receiver suitable for the desired analytical technique.

Abstract: The invention relates to methods and devices for regulating the filling level in measuring cells of ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometers so that it is optimal for mass resolution and mass accuracy. The invention consists in supplying a fraction of the samples to a second reference mass spectrometer operated in parallel, and employing the mass spectra obtained from this reference mass spectrometer to regulate the filling level in the ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer.

Abstract: Multiply charged ions are trapped and accumulated in a spatially limited region before being injected into an ion trap mass spectrometer such as a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer (FTICR MS). In the ion trap electron capture dissociation (ECD) and vibrational excitation dissociation are sequentially applied on ions of the same ion ensemble. The first dissociation process does not fragment all primary ions. Following the detection of the dissociation products, the primary ions that remain undissociated undergo the vibrational excitation and again, a part of them dissociate, and the fragments are detected. Thus, the same ion ensemble is used for two fragmentation processes. During these processes, further ions generated in the external ion source are accumulated in the spatially limited region for subsequent analyses.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device and method for moving an ion source in a magnetic field by making use of the Lorentz force. The ability of the electron source to move makes it possible to extend and retract it simply by switching the operating current on and off. In mass spectrometry, this means that the entrance of a mass spectrometric analyzer is not permanently obstructed but can be made accessible any time for other applications, such as laser beams.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and a device for irradiating ions in a ion cyclotron resonance (ICR) trap with photons and/or electrons. For electron irradiation a hollow electron emitter is used, through the hole of which a light beam can be sent into the ICR trap. The emitter generates a hollow, tubular electron beam. In a special application low energy ions within the tubular electron beam are irradiated with photons. The ions can be cyclotron-excited mass selectively, by which they enter the electron beam and interact with electrons.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device and method for moving an ion source in a magnetic field by making use of the Lorentz force. The ability of the electron source to move makes it possible to extend and retract it simply by switching the operating current on and off. In mass spectrometry, this means that the entrance of a mass spectrometric analyzer is not permanently obstructed but can be made accessible any time for other applications, such as laser beams.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and a device for irradiating ions in a ion cyclotron resonance (ICR) trap with photons and/or electrons. For electron irradiation a hollow electron emitter is used, through the hole of which a light beam can be sent into the ICR trap. The emitter generates a hollow, tubular electron beam. In a special application low energy ions within the tubular electron beam are irradiated with photons. The ions can be cyclotron-excited mass selectively, by which they enter the electron beam and interact with electrons.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for controlling the number of ions in ion cyclotron resonance (ICR) mass spectrometers, whereby the ions enter a multipole ion guide after their formation and are stored there temporarily. By measuring the ion number in a predefined subset of these temporarily stored ions, the number of ions transferred into the ICR trap for mass spectrometric analysis is regulated. A mode of operation of the multipole ion guide can ensure that undesirable mass ranges are filtered out before the transfer of ions into the ICR mass spectrometer. The invention makes it possible to eliminate space charge effects, which are caused by overfilling the ICR traps.

Abstract: A matrix assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) source with the capability of exposing the sample to a local gas pulse exactly at the point where the laser desorption process occurs, helps reduce the excess kinetic energy of the generated ions. Thus, it allows a better control of the ions during their transfer to and capture in ion trap mass spectrometers. Avoiding the unnecessary pressure increase, the MALDI source helps reduce pump-off times and the performance decrease particularly in Fourier transformation ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometers. In addition, it allows the use of pulsed reactive gases in connection with direct or matrix assisted laser desorption, which can lead to the formation of novel product ions. The MALDI source also provides the capability of capturing and accumulating the ions in an in-source multipole ion guide for increasing the sensitivity of the method.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device and a method for the alternating operation of ion sources at mass spectrometers equipped with RF multipole ion guides. Designing at least one of the RF multiple ion guides movable perpendicular to the axis, makes it possible to perform a vacuum-internal source exchange, without having to vent the vacuum system.

Abstract: Curved rf multipole ion guides or angled linear rf multipole ion guides are designed to be rotatable or shiftable. Thus, the direction of guided ions can be altered by rotating or shifting these ion guides. In a mass spectrometer equipped with a multitude of ion sources, this allows to switch between ion sources without venting the vacuum system.