Mass Spectrometry (continued..

)
• Muhammad Abdullah
• Lecturer
• BioMedical Engineering Department
 Detector
• There are 3 detection methods:
1. Photographic Emulsion
2. Faraday Cups
3. Electron Multipliers

1) Photographic Emulsion
- Sensitized by ions just like photons or radioactive particles
- Each m/z appear as a discrete line on the emulsion
- The spectrum consists of parallel lines
- Takes longer time
- Nonlinear
Continued…..
2) Faraday Cups:
- Insulated metal cup connected to ground
through a very large resistor
- when the ions strike the cup, they pick up
electrons from the metal, resulting in ~10-19 A
current
- This produces voltage drop across the resistor
- The voltage is amplified and measured
- Faraday cup
 Continued…..
• Faraday cups is considered a universal charge
detector because of its independence from the
energy, mass, chemistry, etc. of the analyte

𝑁 𝐼
=
𝑡 𝑒
N= number of ions observed in time t (sec)
I= current measured in amps
e= elementary charge (1.6x10-19C)
Continued………
• Electron Multipliers
– Same as electron multiplier tubes
– Ions strike a cathode that emits secondary electrons
– Electrons accelerate to the first dynode and release a
greater number of electrons
– A 10 to 12 dynode multiplier amplifies the signal by
106
– Electrons from the final dynode are collected by the
anode
– Excellent response time and good sensitivity, can
detect a single ion
A continuos dynode particle multiplier
detector
 Recorder
• Developed photographic emulsion
• Recording Oscillograph
• Microcomputer
 The Mass Spectra
• The mass spectra of dopamine
Base Peak

Molecular ion Peak

 The Mass Spectra
• Base Peak is the most abundant ion formed in the
ionization chamber gives rise to the tallest peak in the
mass spectrum

• The low end of the m/z range is typically 35 or 40 to

eliminate the very large peaks from low-mass
fragments from background ions arising from gase and
small alkyl fragments

• The molecular ion peak is the peak in the mass

spectrum with the largest m/z value, it is indicated in
the graph at m/z=153
Maintenance
 More reading
• https://clu-in.org/characterization/technologies/mspec.cfm