Teachings herein relate generally to mass spectrometry, and to novel collisions cells for mass spectrometers.
In mass spectrometry, two mass analyzers can be used in series separated by a collision cell. In a collision cell, precursor ions are fragmented by collision-induced dissociation, to produce a number of product ions. Alternatively, the precursor ions may undergo reactions in the collision gas to form adducts or other reaction products. The term “product ion” is intended to mean any of the ion products of the collisions between the precursor ions and the gas molecules in the collision cell. The product ions (and remaining precursor ions) from the collision cell then travel into the second mass analyzer, which is scanned to produce a mass spectrum, usually of the product ions. Exemplary embodiments of straight collision cells can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,875 to Douglas et. al, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Exemplary embodiments of curved collision cells can be found in, for example, Syka, Schoen and Ceja, Proceedings Of the 34th American Society for Mass Spectrometry (“ASMS”) Conference Mass Spectrom. Allied Top., Cincinnati, Ohio, 1986, p. 718-719, incorporated herein by reference. A reason for the use of curved collision cells is to reduce the overall length of the ion path within the mass spectrometer. An example of a curved collision cell is the 1200L Quadropole LC/MS sold by Varian, Inc. 3120 Hansen Way, Palo Alto, Calif. 94304-1030 USA.
Ions entering a gas filled collision cell incorporating curved quadrupoles for radial confinement of the ions, typically must do so at kinetic energies that will allow the ions to remain confined within the radial trapping potentials of the quadrupole. If the kinetic energy of the ion perpendicular to the axial axis of the quadrupole is higher than the pseudo-potential well depth, it is possible for the ion to be lost on a quadrupole electrode. Those skilled in the relevant arts will appreciate that the loss of ions can result in reduced sensitivity and other detriments in mass analysis. It can therefore be desirable to reduce and/or substantially eliminate such losses.
In various aspects the applicants' teachings provide collision cells for mass spectrometers, the collision cells comprising both straight and curved sections.
In further aspects the applicants' teachings provide mass spectrometers comprising such collision cells.
In various embodiments, for example, collision cells according to applicants' teachings comprise straight sections having inlets for receiving precursor ions, the straight sections being of lengths selected in order to allow the precursor ions to lose enough kinetic energy, as they pass through the straight sections, to allow the precursor ions to travel through the curved sections without either escaping the collision cell or colliding with the collision cell.
In further aspects, the applicants' teachings comprise methods of designing, fabricating, and operating such collision cells and mass spectrometers, and methods of conducting mass analyses of ions using such collision cells.
Those skilled in the relevant arts will understand that the drawings, described below, are for illustration purposes only. The drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the applicants' teachings in any way.
It should be understood that the phrase “a” or “an” used in conjunction with the present teachings with reference to various elements encompasses “one or more” or “at least one” unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
With reference to
In the embodiment shown in
In the embodiment shown in
In the embodiment shown, MS 20 also comprises a J-shaped curved collision cell Q2. Curved collision cell Q2 comprises a straight section or portion 40, a curved section or portion 4, and inlet aperture IQ2 to receive precursor ions from second stubby ST2, and an outlet aperture IQ3 through which to release ions, including product ions that are generated from precursor ions during their passage through region Q2. Second ion guide region Q2 is described in greater detail below.
In the embodiment shown, MS 20 also comprises a third stubby ST2, a third ion guide region Q3, an exit lens 32 and a detector 36. Third stubby ST3 is adjacent to aperture IQ3 and receives ions from region Q2. In turn, the ions in third stubby ST3 travel through third region Q3, and into detector 36 via lens 32.
Those skilled in the relevant arts will appreciate that suitable structures and methods of operation of portions of MS 20 other than region Q2 are known, and that the exact configuration(s) thereof are not particularly limited. Accordingly, further discussion of those portions and their operations will be limited to correspond to discussions regarding region Q2. Those skilled in the relevant arts will further appreciate that many types and configurations of mass spectrometers suitable for use with curved collision cells according to the teachings herein are available, and will doubtless hereafter be developed. Typical ion guides of ion guide regions Q0, Q1, Q2 and Q3 and stubbies ST1, ST2 and ST3 in the present teachings, can include at least one electrode as generally known in the art, in addition to ancillary components generally required for structural support. In various embodiments, for example, the electrodes can be configured as rod sets of four (quadrupole), six (hexapole), eight (octapole), or higher multiple rods, or as sets of multiple rings, and the collision cell(s) can be configured with an outer casing or shell to aid in containing collision gas(ses).
Referring now to
In a present embodiment, a desirable length A-B of straight section 40 can be determined using the following parameters:
For comparison, a representation of a prior-art U-shaped collision cell, referred to as a second ion guide region Q2PA, is shown in
The inventors have determined that linear section 40 provides heretofore unknown and unexpected improvements to the art. In so determining, the inventors applied a model that can be used to calculate the amount of kinetic energy that an ion has as a function of axial distance and pressure in a curved collision cell. The energy loss model of Covey and Douglas (JASMS 1993,4, 616-623) is an example of a relationship that can be used to describe the kinetic energy of a precursor ion. In this model the kinetic energy, E, of an ion can be found using Equation 1:
The pseudo-potential well depth is the time averaged potential for the RF radial confinement fields of the ion guide within region Q2, Q2PA. The pseudo-potential well depth can be calculated using for example Equation 2 (see H. G. Dehrnelt, Adv. Atom. Mol. Phys. 3, 53-72 (1967)):
For a Q2 section curved at 180° and about fifteen centimeters (cm) in length, for the geometry shown in
As an example, the trapping potential for the ion reserpine (mass/charge (m/z)=609.2, σ=280 Å2) at qu=0.2824 on region Q2, Q2PA (corresponding to m/z (Q3)=609.2 with the ratio qu(Q2PA)=0.4qu(Q3)), F=816 kHz, ro=4.171 mm and Vn=203.8 V, is 14.4 eV. A precursor ion will have to lose enough kinetic energy such that E⊥, will be less than about 14.4 eV in order to prevent the precursor ion from hitting the electrode or escaping.
In order to pass through the barrier the ion will require a kinetic energy of more than about 36.7 eV in the Z direction corresponding to E⊥=14.4 eV.
It should also be noted that the trapping potential on an ion guide of region Q2, Q2PA during an MS/MS experiment varies as a function of the region Q3 mass resolution configuration. This is because on a prior art triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (i.e. where region Q2PA is used within MS 20 in place of region Q2), the RF amplitude is derived from the Q3 mass analyzing quadrupole. When the foregoing is performed on the API 4000 (a known prior art triple quadrupole mass spectrometer which has a similar structure of MS 20 with the exception that region Q2 consists entirely of a linear collision cell, hereafter denoted as Q2PAL) the ratio for qu(Q2PAL)/qu(Q3) is about 0.4. For example, if Q1 is operating in a mass-analyzing mode, and allows precursor ions of only 609 m/z to pass, then the precursor ions can enter Q2PAL with an average kinetic energy of 50 eV. In Q2PAL, the precursor ions can be expected to collide with the collision gas and can fragment to produce product ions, for example, of 448 m/z, 397 m/z, 195 m/z, etc., which pass through Q3. When Q3 operates in a mass-analyzing mode, it can scan from low to high mass (for example, from 150-650 m/z).
Substantially all fragments of 609 m/z produced in the Q2PAL cell can be expected to pass into the Q3 analyzing quadrupole, which transmits (that is, allows to pass) only those masses as determined by the particular combination of RF amplitude and resolving direct current (DC) voltage. Q2PAL sections may be capacitatively linked to Q3, so that the RF amplitude of voltages applied to Q2 tracks with those applied to Q3. When the foregoing is performed on an API 4000 system, the ratio for qu(Q2PAL)/qu(Q3) is about 0.4.
However, in the present embodiment where MS 20 is configured as shown in
The above calculations show that if an ion is to survive injection into a curved collision cell (such as region Q2PA, or curved section 44 of region Q2) then the ion must either not possess too much kinetic energy or the collision cell pressure must not be too low. Increasing the collision cell pressure is one method of reducing the ions' kinetic energy to an acceptable level. However, ions with high activation energies may require a significant increase in cell pressure, which may lead to detrimental effects in the mass analyzing quadrupoles. One exemplary detrimental effect will be the increase in pressure in the mass analyzing vacuum chamber. This could lead to operation of the ion detector in less than optimal conditions. Other detrimental effects can include loss in sensitivity due to the scattering of ions, particularly with respect to lighter ions. Accordingly, pressures of collision gasses, where used, may be adjusted accordingly.
Provision of a straight section 40 with curved section 44 in a region Q2 can allow the ions to dissipate some kinetic energy prior to encountering curved section 44, and thereby increase the likelihood of ion survival within curved section 44.
In order to avoid discontinuities or other irregularities in potential fields applied within the curved collision cell, it can be advantageous to provide such cells, as shown in the various figures, with the straight and curved sections integrally formed from monolithic electrodes.
Simulations have been carried out using an ion trajectory simulator. The simulator modeled exemplary electrodes in three spatial dimensions. Trajectories for ion masses of the Taurocholic acid ion (m/z=514) were performed. Simulations were carried out for a region structured in the form of region Q2PA, and for a region structured in the form of region Q2.
For region Q2, straight section 40 was about four cm long. For region Q2 and Q2PA, the radius of curvature of curved section 44 and 44PA was about forty-five mm. Regions Q2 and Q2PA each comprised an A-pole and a B-pole, each with two electrodes for a total of four rods (quadrupole). The RF signal was 180 degrees out of phase between the A and B poles. Simulations were carried out at two different RF frequencies, 816 and 940 kHz. The initial ion energy was set at 100 eV, the pressure was 10 mTorr of nitrogen and the collision cross section was 225 Å2. Taurocholic acid has a structure similar to that of reserpine, which has a measured collision cross-section of about 280 Å2. Taurocholic acid is slightly smaller, so a reasonable collision cross-section for this ion would be expected to be on the order of 200 Å2-250 Å2. Ten trajectories were run for ions with the initial starting conditions for RF phase and position being randomly selected. A drift field of 10 V/m was also applied to simulate the effects of an axial gradient. The curved section of the collision cell was created by using a section of the electrodes defined within a 3-degree radius, or “wedge” or slice, of the electrodes, as shown in
In
Experiments were carried out on the molecule taurocholic acid. This molecule forms a negative ion with mass 514 m/z. A major fragment of taurocholic acid occurs at 80 m/z. As mentioned above, taurocholic acid has a structure similar to that of reserpine which has a measured collision cross-section of about 280 Å2. Taurocholic acid is slightly smaller than reserpine, so a reasonable collision cross-section for this ion would be on the order of 200 Å2 to about 250 Å2. Ions of taurocholic acid are also difficult to fragment, requiring a collision energy of more than 90 eV for efficient fragmentation. The small size and the toughness of this ion are ideal to demonstrate the benefits of region Q2 in place of region Q2PA. The fraction of the RF amplitude on the Q2 collision cell was 55% of that applied to the Q3 mass analyzing quadrupole. This means that when Q3 is set to analyze 80 m/z the qu value on Q2 is 0.060 for 514 m/z and 0.388 for 80 m/z. It should also be noted in this experiment that curved section 44 of region Q2 had a radius of 50 mm at the longitudinal axis of the cell, while straight section 40 was of length 25 mm.
The data shown in
The increase in drive frequency from 816 to 940 kHz is beneficial for confinement of ions but can be considered a minor effect. This is shown, for example, by the simulation results of
The applicants' teachings further include curved collision cells having straight front sections and curved sections of varying radii.
There are a significant number of variables involved in designing a curved collision cell having a front straight section in accordance with the teachings herein. These include, without limitation, collision cell pressure; initial ion kinetic energy; the collision cross-section of ion(s) of interest; the mass of the neutral collision partner (e.g, the collision gas); and the depth of the pseudo-potential well required to prevent the ion(s) of interest from colliding with an electrode (or escaping the collision cell). Moreover, the depth of the pseudo-potential well is dependent upon factors which include the field radius of the collision cell; the drive frequency of the collision cell; and the mass of the ion(s) of interest. In addition, there are physical limitations due to the size of the ion guide electrodes, or other collision cell components, the potentials applied, and the spacing between electrodes.
Fragile ions requiring only a little kinetic energy to cause dissociation (i.e., fragmentation) may be fully dissociated (i.e., fragmented) within a short distance into the Q2 collision cell, and therefore require only a minimal reduction of kinetic energy in the straight section. Accordingly, straight sections of variable effective length are contemplated. For example, as will be understood by those skilled in the relevant arts once they have been made familiar with this disclosure, RF and/or dc fields may be used in such straight (and/or curved) sections in order to maintain a desired kinetic energy when a straight section 40 has been provided that is longer than required to reduce kinetic energy to a desired point. This can prevent, for example, the necessity for using straight sections 40 of varying physical length.
Ions which are more difficult to fragment may require higher collision energies, and thus, other parameters being held equal, a configuration with a longer straight section 40 may be used to advantage. Accordingly, the applicants recognize that consideration for choosing a balance of parameters can improve both the fragmentation efficiency and the transmission of product and precursor ions through the collision cell Q2. For example, in various embodiments, applying sufficient kinetic energy to the precursor ions, by appropriate means such as by an accelerating DC field between ST2 and IQ2, can cause dissociation of difficult-to-fragment precursor ions within the straight section 40 of the collision cell Q2. The resulting product ions and any remaining precursor ions can continue to have high levels of kinetic energy while in the straight section 40. Consequently, by providing a sufficient length for the straight section 40, these ions can lose sufficient kinetic energy in order to survive transmission through the curved section 44. Further dissociation of the precursor ions (or the product ions) can occur within the curved section 44 during transmission.
While the present teachings describe fragmenting the precursor ions either in the straight or curved sections of the collision cell, in various embodiments, there can, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the relevant arts, arise situations in which it may be advantageous to allow an ion or ions to enter and exit the collision cell without dissociating. Whether generally referred to as as precursor ions, as product ions associated from a previous dissociation of precursor ions or a combination thereof, the ions enter the straight section 40 and lose a desired amount of kinetic while traversing the length of the straight section 40. In the absence of collisional dissociation, the ions can survive passage within and through the curved portion without escaping or contacting the collision cell. As discussed above, in the presence of collisional dissociation, the ions can survive passage within the curved portion without escaping or contacting the collision cell and result in fragmentation producing product ions.
Actual physical dimensions of curved sections 44 can dictate the required length of the corresponding straight sections 40 for optimal analysis of particular ion(s). The degree of curvature of curved sections 44 will also affect the calculation of lengths of sections 40. For example, an ion entering a 180 degree curved section 44 will encounter the outer electrode in a shorter distance than an equivalent ion entering a collision cell having a curved section 44 of lesser total curvature.
Other considerations can also affect design choices for curved collision cells. One purpose of curving the collision cell is to reduce the overall physical length of an instrument corresponding to a desired ion path length. Thus, from the standpoint of minimizing overall physical length of a mass analysis instrument, increasing the length of the straight section 40 to the point at which the total length of the ion path exceeds the overall length of the straight ion path can tend to defeat the purpose of curving the Q2 collision cell.
A quadrupole analyzer providing an ion path of length L will, when curved 180 degrees, form an analyzer with a radius of L/π for a savings in physical length of approximately 0.68 L on the longest dimension of the collision cell. Curving the collision cell by 90 degrees will provide a collision cell with a radius of 2 L/π, with a resultant savings of approximately 0.36 L on the longest dimension. With regard to the overall length of the curved ion path compared to the straight ion path, there is an additional savings of the length of the optics (i.e., the Q3 quadrupole, detector, etc.) that follow the collision cell.
With a 180 degree curved collision cell, the minimum radius can be limited by the physical dimensions of the analyzing quadrupoles (e.g., Q1, Q3). For example,
For a curved collision cell of radius r equal to 45 mm, or 45/4.17=10.79r0, as previously discussed, the length of the curved axis or mean ion path 46 is 141.4 mm.
As described above, the curved section is mated or physically joined to the straight section, however, the applicants' teachings also provide embodiments in which the curved collision cell with a straight front section comprises two or more intermediate parts or section that are modular, as shown, for example, in
While the applicants' teachings are described in conjunction with various embodiments, it is not intended that applicants' teachings be limited to such embodiments. On the contrary, the applicants' teachings encompass a wide variety of alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, as will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the relevant arts.
The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/973,547, filed Sep. 19, 2007, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. The section headings used herein are intended as organizational aids, and are not to be construed as limiting the subject matter of the teachings in any way.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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5248875 | Douglas et al. | Sep 1993 | A |
6576897 | Steiner et al. | Jun 2003 | B1 |
6674069 | Martin et al. | Jan 2004 | B1 |
6891157 | Bateman et al. | May 2005 | B2 |
7034292 | Whitehouse et al. | Apr 2006 | B1 |
7459678 | Schoen | Dec 2008 | B2 |
7498571 | Makarov et al. | Mar 2009 | B2 |
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0237259 | Sep 1987 | EP |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20090095898 A1 | Apr 2009 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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60973547 | Sep 2007 | US |