MOVING BELT ION TRANSPORT FOR MASS SPECTROMETRY

THIS RESEARCH WILL EVALUATE A NOVEL METHOD OF TRANSPORTING IONS FROM AN EXTERNAL SOURCE, THAT CAN BE AT ANY DESIRED PRESSURE, INTO A VACUUM SYSTEM CONTAINING A MASS ANALYZER. OF PARTICULAR INTEREST ARE "SOFT" SOURCES THAT PRODUCE INTACT IONS FROM LARGE, COMPLEX, AND FRAGILE SPECIES OF BIOCHEMICAL IMPORTANCE. THE APPROACH CONSISTS OF DEPOSITINGTHE IONS ON A MOVING BELT, WHICH PASSES THROUGH APPROPRIATE LOCKS INTO THE VACUUM SYSTEM WHERE THE IONS ARE DESORBED ANDGUIDED TO THE MASS ANALYZER. BECAUSE THIS APPROACH AVOIDS THE INTRODUCTION OF LARGE QUANTITIES OF CARRIER GAS, IT CAN PROVIDE A MUCH LARGER FRACTION OF ORIGINAL ANALYTE AS IONS TO THE MASS ANALYZER. PRELIMINARY ESTIMATES INDICATE THAT INCREASES OF 3 TO 4 POWERS OF 10 IN ION CURRENT CAN BE ACHIEVED. IF THESE ESTIMATES ARE CONFIRMED, THE CONSEQUENT INCREASE IN MASS SPECTROMETRIC SENSITIVITY WOULD HAVE ENORMOUS ANALYTICAL IMPLICATIONS IN BIOTECHNOLOGY AND MEDICINE AND WOULD OPEN UP MANY APPLICATIONS FOR MASS SPECTROMETRY IN OTHER FIELDS WHERE DETECTION OF TRACE COMPONENTS IS IMPORTANT.