An ambient or atmospheric pressure ion source is disclosed that comprises a laser source (1) that generates ions and/or neutral particles from a target (2). A transfer device (10) causes the ions and/or neutral particles to pass along a first path or axis within the transfer device (10), while a secondary activation device (6) directs laser radiation or photons along, across or over at least a portion of the first path or axis to cause secondary activation of the ions and/or neutral particles.

Systems, methods, and devices to dissociate ions using one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs). A mass spectrometer for ion dissociation includes an ion source for providing ions for dissociation, a mass analyzer, and a photodissociation (PD) device. The PD device includes an ion transport device. The ion transport device is configured perform one or more of: transporting the ions through the PD device, and trapping the ions within a region of the PD device. The PD device also includes one or more LEDs positioned to irradiate the ions in the PD device, resulting in fragmentation of the ions.

The invention proposes a methods and devices for tandem ion mobility spectrometry using at least one TIMS analyzers (TIMS=trapping ion mobility spectrometry), in particular in the field of structural biology.

A method of analyzing molecules, comprising: generating ions from a sample of molecules; cooling the generated ions below ambient temperature; fragmenting at least some of the cooled ions by irradiating the ions with light at a plurality of different wavelengths () within one or more predetermined spectral intervals; recording a fragment mass spectrum of the fragmented ions comprising a detected signal (I) versus m/z over a predetermined range of m/z values for each of the plurality of different wavelengths (), thereby recording a two-dimensional dependency of the detected signal (I) on m/z and irradiation wavelength (); and determining from the recorded two-dimensional dependency an identity of at least one of the generated ions and/or relative abundances of different generated ions and thereby determining an identity of at least of one of the molecules and/or relative abundances of different molecules in the sample.

The four-dimensional microscope includes a sample plate, a laser device, an aperture, an extraction plate, a hexapole, a quadrupole, a time-of-flight mass analyzer, a detector, and a device for supplying a voltage to the sample plate, the aperture, the extraction plate and the hexapole and the quadrupole. By utilizing the tunneling effect of photo-induced electrons on surfaces of semiconductor materials under laser irradiation and the electron capture ionization, mass-to-charge ratios and signal intensities of the ions resulting from the capture of interfacially transferred photo-induced electrons and subsequent photo-chemical reactions are measured, and image reconstruction is performed to obtain microscopic images. By using the present invention, not only active photo-catalytic sites of the semiconductor materials are imaged but also various structures of intermediates and products of photo-chemical reactions can be determined.

The present invention concerns a method for sequencing oligosaccharides, which makes it possible to identify the primary sequence of an oligosaccharide of unknown structure, including its monosaccharide composition, the position (regiochemistry) and configuration (stereochemistry) of glycosidic bonds, the nature and position of functional modifications, and its branched structure, particularly including the identification of the reducing end.

A method of analyzing molecules, comprising: generating ions from a sample of molecules; cooling the generated ions below ambient temperature; fragmenting at least some of the cooled ions by irradiating the ions with light at a plurality of different wavelengths () within one or more predetermined spectral intervals; recording a fragment mass spectrum of the fragmented ions comprising a detected signal (I) versus m/z over a predetermined range of m/z values for each of the plurality of different wavelengths (), thereby recording a two dimensional dependency of the detected signal (I) on m/z and irradiation wavelength (); and determining from the recorded two dimensional dependency an identity of at least one of the generated ions and/or relative abundances of different generated ions and thereby determining an identity of at least of one of the molecules and/or relative abundances of different molecules in the sample.

A method is described that involves simplification of UVPD mass spectra and comprises selecting precursor ions for UVPD fragmentation, performing UVPD fragmentation on selected precursor ions to give UVPD fragment ions. PTR may then be performed on the UVPD fragment ions with optional ion parking to yield charge-state reduced UVPD fragment ions. The UVPD-PTR steps may be repeated above n times where n=1 to 50. Ion parking may enhance the intensity of selected lower fragment ion charge states or to increase the intensity of peaks in selected m/z ranges. After a number of PTR-UVPD iterations, fragment ions are mass analyzed. The method provides a way of simplifying UVPD mass spectral product ions by lowering fragment ion charge states and spreading out resulting product ions in m/z mass spectral space when compared to using UVPD fragmentation alone.

The invention relates to mass spectrometers with optically pumped lasers, whose laser light can be used for ionization by laser desorption, for the fragmentation of ions by photodissociation (PD), for the initiation of ion reactions, and for other purposes. The invention provides a laser system for a mass spectrometer, with which at least two laser beams of different wavelengths can be generated for use at different points along an ion path from an ion source to an ion detector in the mass spectrometer.

A new approach is described herein for outfitting a mass spectrometer with an infrared laser that provides an improved method of ion dissociation. One embodiment, generally referred to as Activated Ion Electron Transfer Dissociation (AI-ETD) utilizes additional energy from photons during fragmentation to generate extensive fragmentation by interacting with peptides or proteins that are not fully fragmented or separated in the high pressure linear ion trap, thus allowing for increased information during MS/MS. Additionally, a new activation scheme generally referred to as AI-ETD+ is also described that combines AI-ETD in the high pressure cell of the linear ion trap with additional infrared multi-photon dissociation (IRMPD) activation in the low pressure cell. These methods provide improved fragmentation and sequence coverage without introducing additional time to the scan duty cycle.