2009 R&D 100 Winner
In mass spectrometry of organic samples, biological particles must be broken apart so that the mass of the individual pieces can be measured and added together to provide the total mass—a painstaking process that can be compared to measuring a football field with a 12-inch ruler. The Mass-Independent Kinetic-Energy-Reducing Inlet System for Mass Spectrometers developed by researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tenn., can handle much larger units of measure by extending the effective operation range into the 106 amu range and beyond (versus the maximum of 20,000 amu for other commercial mass spectrometers). The inlet system accomplishes this by injecting particulate ions at atmospheric pressure into vacuum and trapping them to remove any expansion-induced kinetic energy. The ions can then be injected on demand into a mass analyzer for precise mass analysis. This innovation permits increases in the sensitivity of atmospheric-pressure matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry without the loss of resolution with increasing mass.
Technology
Inlet system for mass spectrometers
Developer
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
