A Linear Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer with Versatile Control and Data Acquisition for Ion/Ion Reactions

A linear ion trap (LIT) with electrospray ionization (ESI) for top-down protein analysis has been constructed. An independent atmospheric sampling glow discharge ionization (ASGDI) source produces reagent ions for ion/ion reactions. The device is also meant to enable a wide variety of ion/ion reaction studies. To reduce the instrument's complexity and make it available for wide dissemination, only a few simple electronics components were custom built. The instrument functions as both a reaction vessel for gas-phase ion/ion reactions and a mass spectrometer using mass-selective axial ejection. Initial results demonstrate trapping efficiency of 70% to 90% and the ability to perform proton transfer reactions on intact protein ions, including dual polarity storage reactions, transmission mode reactions, and ion parking.

Graphical AbstractProton transfer reactions are demonstrated for trypsin, ubiquitin, and cytochrome c on a linear ion trap with multiple ion sources and a turning quadrupole.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload high-quality image (60 K)Download as PowerPoint slide