Patent ID: 8723110

Claim:
An apparatus for generating ions comprising: a. an electrospray ionization source configured to provide a spray of charged droplets from a first solution during operation of the apparatus; b. a heated drying gas delivery system configured to deliver heated gas flow into a mixing region, wherein the heated gas facilitates evaporation of the spray of charged droplets to produce ions and neutral species from the droplets of the first solution; and c. an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) source comprising: an APCI probe body having an inlet for a second solution, a nebulizer enclosed by the APCI probe body, the nebulizer configured to create a spray of droplets from the second solution, a heater for vaporizing the droplets of the second solution, a corona discharge needle for forming reagent species from the second solution, and an outlet port through which the reagent species exit the APCI probe body; and wherein the spray of charged droplets from the first solution is configured to mix with the reagent species in the mixing region to further ionize the spray of charged droplets from the first solution.