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: A method and a device increases (e.g., uniformly) the internal energy of ions, in order to remove water shells or adducts, to decompose clusters or molecular agglomerations, to unfold large folded ions, or to prepare ions for fragmentation with high yield. The ions can be heated at a gas pressure of a few hectopascal viscously dragged through a tube comprising on-axis RF fields with strong axial field components. The ions are introduced, as usual together with entraining gas, into a vacuum system of a mass spectrometer through a small hole or capillary, and are driven by the gas flow through the tube with the RF fields. The RF fields decelerate and re-accelerate the ions, which travel through the tube, in rapid succession mainly in forward and backward direction, thus causing high numbers of collisions with the gas molecules and heating up the ions in a uniform manner.

Abstract: The invention relates to the production of water cluster ions (“hydronium clusters”) at atmospheric pressure for the chemical ionization of analyte molecules. It is proposed that a corona discharge at the Taylor cone of an aqueous liquid, preferably pure or slightly acidified pure water, is used instead of corona discharges on metal tips, which have been the usual method up to now. The hydronium clusters of the form [H(H2O)n]+ can be produced in a discharge chamber, which is separate from the ionization chamber, and introduced into the ionization chamber through a capillary. In the ionization chamber, the hydronium clusters can be heated and reduced in size by means of electrical acceleration and gas collisions, and thus made more reactive in order that analyte molecules of low proton affinity can also be ionized.

Abstract: The invention relates to the production of water cluster ions (“hydronium clusters”) at atmospheric pressure for the chemical ionization of analyte molecules. It is proposed that a corona discharge at the Taylor cone of an aqueous liquid, preferably pure or slightly acidified pure water, is used instead of corona discharges on metal tips, which have been the usual method up to now. The hydronium clusters of the form [H(H2O)n]+ can be produced in a discharge chamber, which is separate from the ionization chamber, and introduced into the ionization chamber through a capillary. In the ionization chamber, the hydronium clusters can be heated and reduced in size by means of electrical acceleration and gas collisions, and thus made more reactive in order that analyte molecules of low proton affinity can also be ionized.