A novel ion trap based tandem mass spectrometer for the spectroscopic study of cold gas phase polyatomic ions

A novel tandem mass spectrometry based instrument for the spectroscopic interrogation of cold gas phase polyatomic ions has been constructed. The instrument consists of a dual linear ion trap (LIT) based triple quadrupole axis intersecting a spectroscopic axis containing a 22-pole ion trap cooled to 5 K. The triple quadrupole axis intersects the spectroscopy axis between the second and third quadrupoles, which are separated by an ion deflector that is used to direct ion injection into the cold ion trap from the second quadrupole and subsequently to direct ions ejected from the cold ion trap into the third quadrupole. Both the second and third quadrupoles can be operated as LITs capable of dipolar excitation across opposing quadrupole rods. Broad-band or single-frequency waveforms can be used to effect mass selection or mass analysis, respectively. The dual ion trapping capability allows for ion accumulation to occur in parallel with ion spectroscopy and mass analysis, thereby improving the overall efficiency of the experiment. Extensive use of homebuilt equipment has allowed for maximum flexibility, with capabilities for using ion/ion reactions in the ion generation step, and IR-UV double resonance spectroscopy during ion interrogation. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.