Improving Mass Accuracy in FTICR Mass Spectrometry

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This project, carried out by Professor Jon Amster and his students, and supported by Analytical and Surface Chemistry, involves performance evaluation and analytical methods development with a 4.7 Tesla Fourier Transform mass spectrometer. The project develops a complete understanding of the space charge phenomenon in the cell of an FT ICR instrument, and documents its effect on the mass measurement accuracy. The space charge phenomenon is modeled by a new set of sophisticated computations, and experiments are carried out by changes in the physical design of the cell and the potentials applied to it. High mass measurement accuracy for protein-derived ions is used as an exemplary application to emphasize improvements in performance.The analysis cell of a Fourier Transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer can only contain a certain number of ions before the ions begin to interact with each other (the space charge effect). The space charge effect limits the mass measurement accuracy of the instrument. This project of Professor Jon Amster of the University of Georgia models the space charge effect in calculation and experiment, and through enlightened instrument design, minimizes its effect on highly charged ions. The result is much improved mass measurement accuracy needed for biomolecular analysis.