Patent ID: 9171707
Filing Date: 2015-10-27
Classification: H01J,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method of mass spectrometry analysis based on electron transfer dissociation (ETD) of multiply charged organic and/or biomolecular cations, the method comprising the steps of (a) introducing the multiply charged cations into an RF electric field ion containment device of a mass spectrometer; and introducing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon anions as gas-phase electron transfer reagents into the ion containment device, wherein the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon anions are anions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons selected from the set consisting of azulene, homoazulene, acenaphthylene, a homodimer of any of azulene, homoazulene, or acenaphthylene, and a heterodimer comprising one each of azulene, homoazulene, or acenaphthylene; or any mixture thereof; and then (b) mixing the introduced polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon anions or derivative anions thereof, and the multiply charged cations or derivative multiply charged cations thereof, wherein the derivative anions and the derivative multiply charged cations are generated within the ion containment device during performance of the method, for electron transfer from the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon anions or the derivative anions thereof to the multiply charged cations or the derivative multiply charged cations thereof, to induce cleavage of covalent bonds and produce fragment and/or dissociation product cations; and mass (m/z) analyzing and detecting said fragment and/or dissociation product cations or cations derived from the fragment and/or dissociation product cations for mass spectrometric analysis.