A charge detection mass spectrometer (CDMS) includes an electrostatic linear ion trap (ELIT), a processor, and a memory having instructions stored therein executable by the processor to (a) control the ELIT to trap an ion, (b) collect ion measurement information as the trapped ion oscillates back and forth through the ELIT, the ion measurement information including charge induced by the ion on a charge detector of the ELIT during each pass of the ion through the ELIT and timing of the induced charges relative to one another, (c) process the ion measurement information in the time-domain for each of a plurality of sequential time windows of the ion measurement information to determine a charge magnitude of the ion during each time window, and (d) determine the magnitude of charge of the trapped ion based on the charge magnitudes of each of the time windows.

In a general aspect, a swab sample is analyzed, for example, to test for disease. In some examples, a swab head of a swab sample is inserted through an opening into an internal reservoir of a sampling device. The sampling device includes the opening, an inlet channel, an outlet channel, and the internal reservoir. The internal reservoir is in fluid communication with the inlet channel, the outlet channel, and the opening. A liquid solvent is supplied to the swab head in the internal reservoir via the inlet channel of the sampling device. The swab head is held in the liquid solvent for a period of time to form an analyte in the internal reservoir. The analyte is extracted from the internal reservoir via the outlet channel of the sampling device. The analyte is transferred to and processed by a mass spectrometer to obtain mass spectrometry data.

A mass spectrometry (MS) apparatus is provided. The MS apparatus includes a mass spectrometer, an ionization source coupled to the mass spectrometer, and a flow injection system (FIS) coupled to the ionization source. The ionization source is configured to provide an ionized gas flow of an analyte towards an entrance of the mass spectrometer. The ionization source is further configured to provide a second gas flow of a second gas. The MS apparatus is configured to measure a mass spectrometer (MS) signal of the analyte. The MS apparatus is further configured to analyze a dependency of the MS signal of the analyte versus a parameter of the second gas flow or a state of the second gas flow and to determine a condition of the apparatus based on the analyzed dependency.

A method of mass spectrometry or ion mobility spectrometry is disclosed in which analyte ions of a desired charge state are isolated. The method comprises: separating analytes according to their electrophoretic mobility; ionising the analytes; and mass filtering the resulting analyte ions, wherein the mass to charge ratios of the ions transmitted by a mass filter are varied as a function of the electrophoretic mobility and according to a predetermined relationship such that substantially only ions having said desired charge state are transmitted by the mass filter.

A method of analysis using mass spectrometry and/or ion mobility spectrometry is disclosed comprising: (a) using a first device to generate smoke, aerosol or vapour from a target in vitro or ex vivo cell population; (b) mass analysing and/or ion mobility analysing said smoke, aerosol or vapour, or ions derived therefrom, in order to obtain spectrometric data; and (c) analysing said spectrometric data in order to identify and/or characterise said target cell population or one or more cells and/or compounds present in said target cell population.

An ADE device identifies an identifiable sequence of one or more ejections from at least one sample using a different value or pattern of values for one or more ADE parameters. The identifiable one or more ejections are performed to produce one or more mass peaks that have a different feature value or pattern of feature values for one or more peak features than other mass peaks produced. Ejection times are stored. One or more detected peaks with the different feature values or pattern of feature values are identified as produced by the identifiable one or more ejections. A delay time is calculated from the time of the identifiable ejections and the time of the identified detected peaks and the peaks are aligned with samples using delay time, stored times, and order of the samples.

A method of mass spectrometry is disclosed comprising: a) providing temporally separated precursor ions; b) mass analyzing separated precursor ions, and/or product ions derived therefrom, during a plurality of sequential acquisition periods, wherein the value of an operational parameter of the spectrometer is varied during the different acquisition periods; c) storing the spectral data obtained in each acquisition period along with its respective value of the operational parameter; d) interrogating the stored spectral data and determining which of the spectral data for a precursor ion or product ions meets a predetermined criterion, and determining the value of the operational parameter that provides this mass spectral data as a target operational parameter value; and e) mass analyzing again the precursor or product ions whilst the operational parameter is set to the target operational parameter value.

Provided is a mass spectrometer including: an ion generation unit configured to provide an ion generation path; an ion selection unit configured to provide an ion selection path connected to the ion generation path; a reaction unit configured to provide a reaction path connected to the ion selection path; a second ion selection unit configured to provide a second ion selection path connected to the reaction path; and an ion detection unit coupled to the second ion selection unit. The ion selection path and the reaction path extend in a first direction, and the reaction unit includes: a reaction pipe extending in the first direction to define the reaction path; and a sample inflow pipe coupled to the reaction pipe. The sample inflow pipe provides a sample inflow path connected to the reaction path, and the sample inflow path includes an inclined path. The inclined path extends to form an acute angle (α) with respect to the first direction.

A method for detecting radicals in process gases in a semiconductor fabrication assembly is provided where the semiconductor fabrication includes a plasma source and a mass spectrometer with an ion source. The method includes separating ions from the process gases and determining a fixed electron energy in which to measure the process gases. Process gases in the semiconductor fabrication assembly are continuously sampled. A first measurement is performed on the sampled process gases at the electron energy using the mass spectrometer, where the first measurement is performed with the plasma source off. A second measurement of the sampled process gases is performed at the fixed electron energy using the mass spectrometer, where the second measurement is performed with the plasma source on. An amount of a radical present in the sampled process gases is determined as a difference between the second measurement and the first measurement.

The present invention relates to a matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry method and, specifically, a mass spectrometry method according to the present invention comprises the steps of: acquiring a mass spectrum of an analyte by performing matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization of the analyte, wherein a detection spectrum, which is the mass spectrum of the analyte, is acquired using each of two or more matrixes different from one another; and removing, from each detection spectrum, a peak of a corresponding matrix to obtain a matrix-removed spectrum, and then acquiring a corrected mass spectrum of the analyte on the basis of a matrix-removed spectrum for each of different matrixes.