Patent ID: 7201879

Claim:
An Aerosol-into-liquid collector (ALC) for collecting any particles found in a gas comprising: (a) an aerosol particle handling subsystem further consisting of: (i) a substantially gas-tight container, (ii) a gas inlet, (iii) a linear quadrupole (LQ) consisting of four rods situated symmetrically around and parallel to an LQ axis having a first end and a second end, where said linear quadrupole is positioned inside the gas-tight container such that the gas inlet is centered on an extension of the first end of the LQ axis, (iv) a vacuum pump, (v) and at least one gas outlet that has a gas-tight connection to the vacuum pump, where the gas inlet, the LQ, and the gas outlets are positioned such that: when the vacuum pump generates a vacuum in the gas outlets, the gas that is drawn into the gas-tight container flows into the LQ, where the flow of gas into the LQ is centered on the LQ axis, and where at least some of the particles that have a combination of charge, mass, and mobility that is stable in the LQ, are focused toward the LQ axis, and are then drawn from the LQ substantially near the LQ axis so that the concentrated particles can be collected relatively efficiently; (b) a collection liquid (CL); (c) a means to generate and hold a volume of the collection liquid (VCL) within the path taken by particles that were focused by the LQ to positions near the LQ axis, so that these particles tend to combine with the VCL and so that the VCL that is exposed to the gas and particles becomes an exposed volume of collection liquid (EVCL); (d) a means to move the EVCL out of the gas-tight container through an output liquid port in the gas-tight container so that this EVCL can be analyzed by whatever instrumentation is connected to this output port.