HYDROCARBON CHARACTERIZATION BY ULTRAHIGH-RESOLUTION FOURIER-TRANSFORM ION-CYCLOTRON RESONANCE MASS-SPECTROMETRY

The ultrahigh-resolution capabilities of Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS) have been demonstrated for accurate mass measurements of complex hydrocarbon mixtures. Ultrahigh resolution is achievable over a wide mass range by the use of stored waveform inverse Fourier transform (SWIFT) ejection to eliminate space-charge effects. The mass measurement stability under different ionization conditions eliminates the need of mass reference standards during acquisition of sample spectre, thereby increasing sensitivity of the accurate mass measurements under low-voltage electron ionization conditions.