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Fluorescence Imaging for Visualization of the Ion Cloud in a Quadrupole Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer

  • Research Article
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Journal of The American Society for Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

Laser-induced fluorescence is used to visualize populations of gaseous ions stored in a quadrupole ion trap (QIT) mass spectrometer. Presented images include the first fluorescence image of molecular ions collected under conditions typically used in mass spectrometry experiments. Under these “normal” mass spectrometry conditions, the radial (r) and axial (z) full-width at half maxima (FWHM) of the detected ion cloud are 615 and 214 μm, respectively, corresponding to ~6 % of r 0 and ~3 % of z 0 for the QIT used. The effects on the shape and size of the ion cloud caused by varying the pressure of helium bath gas, the number of trapped ions, and the Mathieu parameter q z are visualized and discussed. When a “tickle voltage” is applied to the exit end-cap electrode, as is done in collisionally activated dissociation, a significant elongation in the axial, but not the radial, dimension of the ion cloud is apparent. Finally, using spectroscopically distinguishable fluorophores of two different m/z values, images are presented that illustrate stratification of the ion cloud; ions of lower m/z (higher q z ) are located in the center of the trapping region, effectively excluding higher m/z (lower q z ) ions, which form a surrounding layer. Fluorescence images such as those presented here provide a useful reference for better understanding the collective behavior of ions in radio frequency (rf) trapping devices and how phenomena such as collisions and space-charge affect ion distribution.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Canada Research Chairs Program, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, and the Government of Ontario.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3H6, Canada

    Francis O. Talbot, Stephen V. Sciuto & Rebecca A. Jockusch

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  1. Francis O. Talbot
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  2. Stephen V. Sciuto
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  3. Rebecca A. Jockusch
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Correspondence to Rebecca A. Jockusch.

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Talbot, F.O., Sciuto, S.V. & Jockusch, R.A. Fluorescence Imaging for Visualization of the Ion Cloud in a Quadrupole Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer. J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom. 24, 1823–1832 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13361-013-0742-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13361-013-0742-6

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