Fourier Transform Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

The fundamental principles of Fourier transform mass spectrometry (FTMS) are presented. The motion of ions in a FTMS analyzer can be understood in terms of the magnetic and electric fields present in the FTMS analyzer cell. Ion motion is illustrated with the results of ion trajectory calculations under both collision-free conditions and at high pressure. Dipolar and quadrupolar excitation are described and compared. Practical considerations in obtaining ultra-high-mass resolution and accuracy are discussed. The FTMS experiment is a series of events (ionization excitation, detection) that occur in sequence. Pulse sequences for mass spectrometric and tandem mass spectrometric experiments are presented.