An ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry combined analysis device includes an ionization source producing target analyte ions; an ion mobility filter receiving at least a part of the target analyte ions from the ionization source and operating in a sub-atmospheric environment to select ions within a specified mobility range from the target analyte ions to pass; and a mass filter connected to the rear stage of the ion mobility filter selecting ions in a specified mass-to-charge ratio range from the ions within the specified mobility range to pass. The ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry combined device can separate the target ions based on a collision cross section under the combined action of a scanning electric field and an external gas flow, and operate at low gas pressure, which improves the efficiency of target analysis and an intra-spectrum dynamic range, and perform highly reliable and accurate quantitative analysis on specific target ions.

Provided are methods of detecting the presence or amount of a vitamin D metabolite in a sample using mass spectrometry. The methods generally directed to ionizing a vitamin D metabolite in a sample and detecting the amount of the ion to determine the presence or amount of the vitamin D metabolite in the sample. Also provided are methods to detect the presence or amount of two or more vitamin D metabolites in a single assay.

A method of performing mass spectrometry includes accumulating, over an accumulation time, ions produced from components eluting from a chromatography column and transferring the accumulated ions to a mass analyzer. During an acquisition, a mass spectrum of detected ions derived from the transferred ions is acquired. An elution profile is obtained from a series of acquired mass spectra including the acquired mass spectrum and a plurality of previously-acquired mass spectra. The elution profile includes a plurality of detection points representing intensity of the detected ions as a function of time. A current signal state of the elution profile is classified based on a subset of detection points included in the plurality of detection points. The accumulation time for a next acquisition of a mass spectrum is set based on the classified current signal state of the elution profile.

Methods and computer systems related to image-based data analysis such as mass spectrometric data analysis. Methods and computer systems herein utilize multiple micro-processes operating concurrently to carry out rapid, efficient, and automated analysis of mass spectrometry data.

Methods and systems are provided herein for varying the CoV about a nominal CoV-apex while monitoring the ion of interest corresponding to the nominal CoV-apex as it is transmitted by a DMS. In various aspects, the CoV can be swept or stepped across a series of values during the injection of ions into the DMS such that a composite spectra of the ion of interest transmitted by the DMS (or its product ions following one or more stages of fragmentation) can be generated so as to include the transmission of the particular ion at a CoV with optimum sensitivity (i.e., if distinct from the CoV-apex), thereby improving the robustness, accuracy, and/or selectivity during experimental conditions relative to known DMS techniques, which typically used a fixed CoV value for each ion of interest.

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 for the identification and localization of small molecule species in a histologic thin tissue section comprises the steps of: a) acquiring a mass/mobility image of the tissue section and generating a mass/mobility map of the small molecule species of interest for each pixel of the image; b) providing a second sample of the same tissue and extracting the small molecules of interest, separating them, and acquiring mass and ion mobility spectra from the separated small molecules; c) identifying the small molecules of interest using corresponding reference databases; and d) assigning identified small molecules to entries in the mass/mobility maps of the first tissue section by comparison of ion masses and mobilities of the identified species to those of the second thin tissue section.

In one aspect, a mass spectrometer is disclosed, which comprises a Fourier Transform (FT) mass analyzer having an input port for receiving ions and an exit port through which the ions exit the FT mass analyzer, a detector disposed downstream of said FT analyzer for detecting ions exiting the FT analyzer, and a multi-segment ion guide having a plurality of segments, said multi-segment ion guide being disposed upstream of said FT mass analyzer and having an input port for receiving ions and an output port through which ions exit the FT mass analyzer. The segments of the ion guide are configured to be independently activated via application of a DC offset voltage thereto so as to adjust a length through which ions passing through the ion guide experience collisional cooling.

Each sample of a series of samples is ejected at an ejection time and according to a sample order. Each ejected sample of the series is ionized, producing ion beam. A list of different sets of MRM transitions is received. Each set of the list corresponds to a different sample. A group of one or more different sets is selected from the list. Initially, each set selected for the group corresponds to a different sample of one or more first samples of the series. A mass spectrometer is instructed to execute each transition of each set of the group on the ion beam until a transition of a set of the group is detected, upon which, one or more next sets are selected from the list to be monitored using the set of the detected transition and the sample order.

The present invention addresses ways to facilitate the detection and analysis of ion abundance, in particular for analysis of elemental ions, and in particular embodiments for isotope ratio analysis, by use of collision cells that employ an axial drag field, i.e. an axial electric field that exerts a drag force on ions within the cell. By means of the invention, the drag field allows an increase in the transmission in the case of Li from a few % up to almost 100%. The drag field is generated by electric fields and can be switched on and off within microsecond (μs) timescales and thus improves the sensitivity for the lighter elements dramatically. The invention allows use of collision cells for analysis of elemental ions in a simple and fast workflow with high throughput and without compromising transmission.