Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer

Distinguished by their ability to combine with other technologies with ease, such as GC and LC, ion trap mass spectrometers are particularly useful for obtaining qualitative, structural information.

Functionality of Ion Trap Mass Spectrometers

Radiofrequency and DC voltages are used to trap ions in the ion trap or cyclotron. The ions can be stored or manipulated in various ways such as isolation or fragmentation, and are then driven from the cell in m/z sequence. Ion traps are available in linear and 3-D configurations. A key advantage with ion trap MS is its ability to perform multistage MS such as MSn, in which reaction or fractionation stages can be performed repeatedly, providing highly useful ionic structure information. Ionization methods include ESI and APCI.

Applications of Ion Trap Mass Spectrometers

Areas of use for ion trap mass spectrometers include QC, structural confirmation, screening applications, and protein identification. They are widely used in pharmaceutical discovery and development, clinical research, food safety, environmental testing, and proteomics.