A deposit-reducing ionization source for sample introduction to a mass spectrometer is provided. It comprises a heated vessel with a set of circulating hot gases to avoid any condensation to be formed within the volume of the vessel, keeping the vessel clean. The vessel has a tubular cross section with a conduit attached to its side wall. The vessel is placed in front of the orifice of a curtain cone. An exhaust port is on the opposite side of the conduit on the wall and close to the curtain cone. A nebulizer is placed inside the conduit. A nebulizing gas and an auxiliary gas are introduced in the conduit and a curtain gas is introduced in the curtain cone.

The invention relates to a microwave driven plasma ion source (1) for ionising a sample to be ionised to sample ions, the microwave driven plasma ion source (1) including a sample intake (6) for inserting the sample from an outside of the microwave driven plasma ion source (1) into an inside (3) of the microwave driven plasma ion source (1): a microwave generator (10) for generating microwaves for generating a plasma (101) from a plasma gas (100): a plasma torch (20) providing a plasma torch orientation direction (29) having an inside (21) for housing (2) a process of generation of the plasma (101) from the plasma gas (100) and for housing a process of ionising the sample to the sample ions by exposing the sample to the plasma (101), wherein the plasma torch (20) comprises a torch outlet (22) for letting out the plasma (101) and the sample ions from the inside (21) of the plasma torch (20) essentially in the plasma torch orientation direction (29) to an outside of the plasma torch (20), the torch outlet (22) having a torch aperture. Furthermore the microwave driven plasma ion source (1, 201) includes a shielding (4) for shielding off the microwaves from passing from the inside (3) of the microwave driven plasma ion source (1) to the outside of the microwave driven plasma ion source (1), wherein the shielding (4) comprises a shielding outlet (5) for letting out the plasma (101) and the sample ions from the inside (3) of the microwave driven plasma ion source (1) essentially in the plasma torch orientation direction (29) to the outside of the microwave driven plasma ion source (1), the shielding outlet (5) having a shielding aperture. Thereby, the shielding outlet (5) is fluidly coupled to the torch outlet (22) for letting out the plasma (101) and the sample ions from the inside (21) of the plasma torch (20) essentially in the plasma torch orientation direction (29) to the outside of the microwave driven plasma ion source (1), wherein a size of the shielding aperture is less than 150%, preferably less than 125%, particular preferably less than 110% of a size of the torch aperture, wherein both the size of the shielding aperture and the size of the torch aperture are measured in units of area.

The disclosure provides a test device and a test method for isotope measurement of noble gases in lunar soil. The testing device includes a carbon dioxide laser ultra-high vacuum sample melting system, zirconium-aluminum getters, a vacuum dry pump, a first molecular pump, a second molecular pump, a neon gas capture unit, an argon gas capture unit, an argon krypton-xenon capture unit, a dilution tank, a sputtering ion pump and a noble gas mass spectrometer which are connected through pipelines, and each pipeline and each component are connected through a specific way; in addition, control valves for controlling the opening and closing of the pipelines are installed on the connection path between each pipeline and each component, and the disclosure also provides a matching test method.

There is provided a method of separating ions comprising operating an ion mobility spectrometer or separator at a reduced pressure and at an operating temperature less than 40 C., and providing a drift gas within said ion mobility spectrometer or separator, wherein said drift gas comprises one or more substances that exist as a liquid at atmospheric pressure (optionally about 1013 mbar) and room temperature (optionally about 20 C.) and wherein said one or more substances have a boiling or sublimation point less than said operating temperature of said ion mobility spectrometer or separator, at said reduced pressure.

Disclosed herein is an evolved gas analyzer and a method for analyzing evolved gas, the apparatus enhancing detection accuracy for gas component without providing the apparatus in a large size. The apparatus includes a heating unit evolving a gas component by heating a sample, a detecting means detecting the gas component, a gas channel connecting the heating unit to the detecting means, the gas channel through which mixed gas of the gas component and carrier gas flows, wherein the gas channel includes a branching channel being open to outside and including a discharge flow rate controlling device, and a flow rate control device controlling the discharge flow rate controlling device based on a detection signal received from the detecting means so as to control the detection signal to be within a predetermined range.

A multiplex system and method for achieving high throughput analysis of samples using solvent assisted ionization inlet includes an ionizing system with a heated inlet channel and a pressure differential across the inlet channel, pipet tips serially aligned with the inlet to a mass spectrometer, and a system of mapping data generated by mass spectrometry.

A multiplex system and method for achieving high throughput analysis of samples using solvent assisted ionization inlet includes an ionizing system with a heated inlet channel and a pressure differential across the inlet channel, pipet tips serially aligned with the inlet to a mass spectrometer, and a system of mapping data generated by mass spectrometry.

In order to provide an ion source that can be easily switched with high sensitivity and in a short time, the ion source includes an ionization probe for spraying a sample, a heating chamber for heating and vaporizing a sample; and driving portions and for changing the distance between an outlet end (i.e., an end on the spray side) of the ionization probe and an inlet end (i.e., an end on the ionization probe side) of the heating chamber. The positions of the ionization probe and the heating chamber are controlled by the driving portions so that an ionization region that uses the ionization probe or an ionization region that uses the heating chamber is positioned near the ion inlet port of the mass spectrometer.

A flexible, foldable light-weight gas chromatography transfer line suitable for connecting a gas chromatograph (GC) to a spectrometer, such as a mass spectrometer or optical spectrometer, in particular to the ion source of the spectrometer, such as an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) ion source. The transfer line has a heating arrangement that allows maintaining an even temperature profile, which improves quality of spectra. The transfer line has low thermal mass and the heating can be controlled with the control unit of the GC.

The present invention discloses a sample injection device for sample collection and sample thermal desorption. The device comprises: a sample collection structure; a piston type adsorber having an adsorption cavity capable of being arranged to be in communication with the sample collection structure; a piston cylinder defining a piston chamber that is configured for accommodating the piston type adsorber and configured to be in communication with the adsorption cavity; a thermal desorption chamber that is configured to be in communication with the adsorption cavity and the piston chamber and is configured to thermally desorb the sample adsorbed in the adsorption cavity; and a pump that is configured to be in communication with the piston chamber via a conduit and is configured to pump a sample diffused in an ambient gas into the adsorption cavity through the sample collection structure, the adsorption cavity being configured to adsorb the sample collected by the sample collection structure; the piston type adsorber is configured to be movable between a sample collecting position where the adsorption cavity is located outside the thermal desorption chamber and in communication with the sample collection structure so as to adsorb the sample collected by the sample collection structure and a sample desorbing position where the adsorption cavity is located inside the thermal desorption chamber so that the adsorbed sample is thermally desorbed in the thermal desorption chamber. There are also provided a method of collecting and desorbing a sample by using the abovementioned device, and a trace detection apparatus.