Patent ID: 8525107

Claim:
An analytical instrument comprising: a sample introduction system for generating a stream of particles from a sample; an ionization system for receiving particles in the stream, the ionization system being operable to atomize particles in the stream as the particles are received from the sample introduction system and to ionize atoms from the atomized particles; an ion pretreatment system; and a magnetic sector mass analyzer comprising an array detector, wherein the ion pretreatment system is adapted to transport ions generated by the ionization system to the magnetic sector mass analyzer, the magnetic sector mass analyzer is adapted to detect a transient signal of at least one element from individual particles from said stream by performing mass analysis on the ions from the atomized particles, and the magnetic sector mass analyzer is adapted determine an amount of said at least one element from an individual particle using the transient signal detected during mass analysis of the ions from said individual particle wherein the ionization system and ion pretreatment system are adapted to produce distinct ion clouds associated with ionization of individual particles in said stream and the mass analyzer is adapted to maintain data relating to transient signals corresponding to an ion cloud produced from said individual particle distinct from data relating to the ion clouds from different particles to enable analysis of the contents of the individual particle.