Importance

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Abstract

Improved techniques are provided for forming ionized molecules from electrosprayed droplets for analysis by a mass spectrometer. A high voltage is applied to a capillary tube for spraying droplets at substantially atmospheric pressure or above, and the electrosprayed droplets contain sample solute of interest and solvent. The electrosprayed droplets are passed into an ion generating chamber which is maintained at a pressure in the range of from 0.1 Torr to 10 Torr. The walls of the ion generating chamber are controllably heated to a temperature which will desolvate the droplets and produce ionized molecules of interest for analysis by the mass spectrometer. The electrospray technique does not rely upon a countercurrent heated gas flow, and provides a particularly simple and inexpensive means to couple electrospray ionization to either quadrupole or magnetic mass analyzers.

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First Claim