Source To Analyzer Interface
Ions entering the mass spectrometer first go through a source - to - analyzer interface, which was designed in order to minimize spectrometer contamination. The ions are directed to the ion guide through orifice 1 and 2 by applying a slight potential difference between them: orifice 1 - 30V and orifice 2 - 5V. It is clear from the diagram that the space between the two orifices is not horizontal but rather diagonal. Species containing charge (ions) are attracted to the second orifice, but neutral molecules travel in a straight pathway and thus get trapped in that region. The contamination is then removed by the pump.
Read more about this topic: DART Ion Source
Famous quotes containing the word source:
“If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger. I should not seem a part of it.... My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath—a source of little visible delight, but necessary. Nelly, I am Heathcliff—he’s always, always in my mind—not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself—but as my own being.”
—Emily Brontë (1818–1848)