Agilent Technologies Introduces First Simultaneous Multimode Ion Source for Mass Spectrometry
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Agilent Technologies Inc. introduced the Agilent Multimode Source, the first simultaneous multimode ion source for mass spectrometry. This technology is expected to significantly improve the speed, accuracy and productivity of high-throughput screening in drug discovery and other research applications.
High-throughput screening is used to analyze large numbers of chemical compounds rapidly and with high sensitivity. In order to be analyzed by mass spectrometry, all compounds must be converted into ions. Since not all molecules respond to the same mode of ionization, multiple ionization sources have been developed to facilitate high-throughput screening. The Agilent Multimode Source is the first and only technology capable of operating electrospray ionization (ESI) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) -- the two most widely used ionization modes -- simultaneously.
The Agilent Multimode Source operates at typical high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) flow rates of up to 2 mL/min in all modes, which is critical for high-throughput screening. The ability to operate at normal HPLC rates in two modes simultaneously with no loss of sensitivity compared with stand-alone sources is a significant advancement over previous devices. While the Multimode Source provides high sensitivity in all modes, it also offers the flexibility to operate in ESI or APCI mode alone.
Agilent developed this patented new technology to overcome the limitations of existing multimode sources, which rely on either flow-splitting or voltage-switching designs that preclude simultaneous ionization and reduce sampling on a chromatographic peak. The Agilent Multimode Source has a novel design in which liquid enters the source through a single nebulizer, is converted into a charged aerosol in an ESI chamber, undergoes drying in a thermal container, and passes into an APCI chamber. ESI and APCI ions then merge and enter the mass spectrometer together. By operating at high flow rates and high sensitivity without mode switching, this design allows researchers to acquire more data from each chromatographic peak.
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