A method of screening a sample for at least one compound of interest is disclosed. The method comprises comparing the ion mobility and at least one further physicochemical property of the ions of a compound of interest to the same properties of candidate ions in the sample. The properties of the compound of interest are matched to those of a candidate ion in the sample then the sample may be determined to comprise the compound of interest.

An electromagnetic testing assembly to predict a usable life of an installed vacuum interrupter in the field, which can include an electromagnetic testing device connected to a flexible magnetic field coil to generate a potential in a vacuum interrupter in an installation, magnetically monitor ion flow across one or more gaps in the vacuum interrupter, and apply trend data, tube chart information, and an algorithm to predict the usable life.

In a gas analysis apparatus including analyzers that need ignition, such as FIDs, in order to make it possible to surely ignite the analyzers while downsizing the entire apparatus, the apparatus includes first and second analyzers to accept a sample gas, a first gas line provided with the first analyzer, a second gas line provided with the second analyzer and joined downstream of the first analyzer in the first gas line. At least one of the first analyzer and the second analyzer is configured to cause pressure fluctuations in the gas line including the analyzer when analyzing the sample gas. A first backflow prevention mechanism is disposed between another of the analyzers and a junction of the gas lines. The first backflow prevention mechanism is configured to prevent a fluid from flowing backward from the one of the analyzers through the junction toward the another of the analyzers.

Methods and apparatuses for ion peak compression and increasing resolution of ions are disclosed. Packets of ions are introduced into a device. A first electric field is applied for dispersing the ion packets temporally or spatially according to their mobilities. A second intermittent traveling wave is applied for regrouping or merging the dispersed ion packets into a lesser number of trapping regions with narrower peaks. The ions packets are compressed into the narrower peak regions by varying a duty cycle of the intermittent traveling wave.

Processing mass spectral data may include performing one or more experiments using one or more samples, each experiment including mass analysis using a mass spectrometer; acquiring one or more raw mass spectral data sets as a result of performing the one or more experiments; receiving selection criteria; filtering the one or more raw mass spectral data sets in accordance with the selection criteria; and generating a chromatogram as a result of said filtering, wherein the chromatogram displays signal intensity as a function of scan time for a plurality of scan times and includes a non-zero signal intensity at each scan time only if, at the scan time, the selection criteria is met and otherwise the chromatogram includes a zero signal intensity at the scan time. The mass spectrometer may alternate between low and elevated energy modes and acquire two of the raw mass spectral data sets concurrently.

A method for analysing an aliphatic compound by mass spectrometry which comprises: (i) ionising an aliphatic compound in the presence of a heterocyclic modifier; and (ii) mass analysing the resulting ions to obtain mass spectrometric data.

In an ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) system, an ion mass-isolated data set is acquired by operating a mass filter to apply a mass isolation window having an m/z width such that the mass isolation window moves through a sequence of window positions, each window position being defined by an IM drift time value and an m/z ratio value. The m/z width of the mass isolation window and the sequence of window positions are determined such that the mass isolation window captures ions in a region of interest of a larger all-ions data set. The isolation window may be a wideband isolation window. In comparison to the all-ions data set, the mass-isolated data set may yield reduced ion signal interference and increased selectivity for analytes of interest.

Sodium-cesium detection systems and methods for the simultaneous detection of both sodium (Na) and cesium (Cs) in gas are provided. The detection systems include two non-identical ionization chambers each having an anode and a cathode that ionize Na and Cs in gas. Each ionization chamber generates a current proportional to the Na and Cs concentration and based on the current, Na concentration and Cs concentration in the gas is determined.

An offset voltage adjusting portion is provided in an amplifying portion for applying respective pulse voltages to a pair of grid electrodes that structures a shutter gate grid. Because the pulse voltage is shifted in the direction of the voltage axis, with the amplitude and pulse width thereof maintained, when the offset voltage is adjusted, this enables a potential difference to be applied to the voltages that are applied to the front grid electrode and the rear grid electrode when the shutter gate grid is open. This potential difference produces an electric field for accelerating ions in the space between the pair of grid electrodes, thus accelerating the movement of ions immediately following the switching of the shutter gate grid from the closed state to the open state, enabling the pulse width of the ions to be narrowed.

A low-OH-content quartz glass with an OH content equal to or lower than 5 ppm is used as a cylindrical tube (2) covering the surface of metallic plasma generation electrodes (4, 5 and 6) for generating a low-frequency barrier discharge. It has been found that, in the low-frequency barrier discharge, hydrogen and oxygen originating from the OH contained in a dielectric material are released into plasma gas for a long period of time, constituting a primary cause of an increase in the baseline current. The use of a low-OH-content quartz glass dramatically lowers the baseline current and thereby improves the S/N ratio and the detection limit.