An ionizer including: an ionization chamber 2; a sample nozzle 60 configured to cause a liquid sample to flow out into the ionization chamber 2; an assist gas passage 61 configured to supply, to the ionization chamber 2, an assist gas that promotes desolvation of the liquid sample; a heater 62 disposed inside the assist gas passage 61; and a heat transfer member 64 disposed in the assist gas passage 61 in contact with the heater 62. The heat transfer member 64 can be disposed, for example, inside the heater 62 including a spirally wound heater wire and between the heater 62 and an inner wall surface of the assist gas passage 61.

A mass spectrometer comprising: a vacuum chamber; and an ion inlet assembly for transmitting analyte ions into the vacuum chamber; wherein the spectrometer is configured to operate in a cooling mode in which it selectively controls one or more gas flow to the ion inlet assembly for actively cooling the ion inlet assembly.

Provided is a spray chamber including a sample introduction port portion into which a gas flow containing sample droplets that have been atomized by a nebulizer is introduced, a discharge port portion that discharges at least a part of the gas flow introduced into the sample introduction port portion to the outside, and a flow passage tube portion that has the sample introduction port portion on one end portion thereof and the discharge port portion on the other end portion thereof and serves as a flow passage for the introduced gas flow, wherein the flow passage tube portion includes a first tube portion having the discharge port portion on one end portion thereof and a second tube portion having the sample introduction port portion on one end portion thereof, the spray chamber includes a double tube portion.

Provided herein are apparatuses that can comprise an electrospray emitter comprising a sample capillary extending from a sample inlet to a sample outlet and an element comprising a conduit coaxially disposed around the electrospray emitter thereby forming a chamber extending between the conduit and the sample capillary and terminating in a gas outlet. The element can further comprise, in some examples, a carrier gas inlet fluidly connected to the chamber, and a working gas inlet fluidly connected to the chamber, wherein the chamber is configured to provide a path for fluid flow from the carrier gas inlet and the working gas inlet to the gas outlet. Also disclosed herein are methods of use of the apparatuses. In some examples discussed herein are methods and apparatuses for contained-electrospray, for example for use in mass spectrometry and/or droplet reactions.

Systems and methods for use in introducing samples to an analytical device for single particle compositional analysis. Suitable analytical devices include, for example, an inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometer. Prior to introduction to the analytical device, the sample gas is exchanged with argon gas, for example, using a gas exchange device. The analytical device may be calibrated with a liquid sample which is aerosolized prior to entry into the analytical device.

Devices, systems and methods including a spray chamber are described. In certain examples, the spray chamber may be configured with an outer chamber configured to provide tangential gas flows. In other instances, an inner tube can be positioned within the outer chamber and may comprise a plurality of microchannels. In some examples, the outer chamber may comprise dual gas inlet ports. In some instances, the spray chamber may be configured to provide tangential gas flow and laminar gas flows to prevent droplet formation on surfaces of the spray chamber. Optical emission devices, optical absorption devices and mass spectrometers using the spray chamber are also described.

A spray area in which a large number of droplets of a liquid sample sprayed from a spray nozzle is separated from the tip of a needle electrode for corona discharge by a sufficiently large distance, with a grid electrode facing the needle electrode placed in between. Ring electrodes for creating an electric field which drives primary ions that should react with the sample and generate sample-derived ions are provided within an ion chamber between the grid electrode and the spray area. Primary ions generated by corona discharge within the space between the needle electrode and the grid electrode pass through the opening of the grid electrode, reach the spray area under the effect of the electric field, and ionize sample components. Since the droplets are prevented from adhering to the needle electrode, the corona discharge is maintained in a stable state.

The invention relates to an ionization chamber for connection to a mass spectrometer. The ionization chamber has a temperature-control block with a gas inlet and a gas channel which starts at the gas inlet and leads into a gas outlet. A temperature-control device is positioned along the gas channel and ensures that a gas flowing in the gas channel is brought to a specific temperature, i.e. it is heated or cooled, before it enters the ionization chamber. The temperature-control block has a formed part into which a structure of the gas channel is incorporated and which is fabricated by means of a sol-gel process, for example out of a glass or ceramic material.

A method and system for formation and withdrawal of a sample from a surface to be analyzed utilizes a collection instrument having a port through which a liquid solution is conducted onto the surface to be analyzed. The port is positioned adjacent the surface to be analyzed, and the liquid solution is conducted onto the surface through the port so that the liquid solution conducted onto the surface interacts with material comprising the surface. An amount of material is thereafter withdrawn from the surface. Pressure control can be utilized to manipulate the solution balance at the surface to thereby control the withdrawal of the amount of material from the surface. Furthermore, such pressure control can be coordinated with the movement of the surface relative to the port of the collection instrument within the X-Y plane.

There is provided an ion source comprising one or more nebulisers and one or more targets, wherein said one or more nebulisers are arranged and adapted to emit, in use, a stream predominantly of droplets which are caused to impact upon said one or more targets and to ionise said droplets to form a plurality of ions, wherein said one or more targets further comprise one or more structures configured to disturb gas flowing along a surface of said one or more targets.