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An ultracompact photo-ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer with a novel vacuum ultraviolet light source for on-line detection of organic trace compounds and as a detector for gas chromatography

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Abstract

A recently developed novel intense rare-gas excimer vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) light source, the electron beam-pumped excimer lamp (EBEL), has been applied to the soft single-photon ionization (SPI) of organic molecules in a compact orthogonal acceleration time-of-flight mass spectrometer (oaTOFMS). The SPI-oaTOFMS system was applied to the on-line monitoring of tobacco smoke. With this setup, it was possible to analyze the composition of individual puffs of cigarette smoke. Furthermore, a gas chromatograph (GC) was coupled to the EBEL SPIoaTOFMS system. Soft photo-ionization represents an additional separation dimension. By combination of the gas chromatographic and the soft-ionization mass spectroscopic separation dimensions, a truly multidimensional comprehensive analytical method could be derived.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center of Environmental Health, Institute of Ecological Chemistry, Oberschleiheim, Germany

    Ralf Zimmermann, Fabian Mühlberger & Werner Welthagen

  2. Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany

    Ralf Zimmermann & Werner Welthagen

  3. BIfA GmbH, Augsburg, Germany

    Ralf Zimmermann

  4. TOFWERK AG, Thun, Switzerland

    Katrin Fuhrer & Marc Gonin

Authors
  1. Ralf Zimmermann
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  2. Fabian Mühlberger
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  3. Katrin Fuhrer
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  4. Marc Gonin
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  5. Werner Welthagen
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Correspondence to Ralf Zimmermann.

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Zimmermann, R., Mühlberger, F., Fuhrer, K. et al. An ultracompact photo-ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer with a novel vacuum ultraviolet light source for on-line detection of organic trace compounds and as a detector for gas chromatography. J Mater Cycles Waste Manag 10, 24–31 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-007-0194-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-007-0194-9

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