The Investigation of Ion-Molecule Reactions using a Selected Ion Flow Tube: a case of support for the replacement of the Roots Blower Pump

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The reactions of ions with neutral molecules play a significant and often dominant role in the chemical and physical evolution of many gaseous plasma environments. Examples include the interstellar medium, planetary ionospheres, and industrial plasmas. Recently, and owing to the efficiency of ion-neutral reactions, ions are being used as extremely sensitive probes to the environment, allowing trace gases to be detected in extremely minute quantities. This opens up all kinds of possibilities is analytical science. The importance of these reactions is a result of the greater reactivity of ions compared to neutral species. To exploit their full potential, a full understanding of the processes involved need to be investigated.The study of ion-neutral reactions has driven the research activities of the Molecular Physics Group within the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Birmingham for many years, with a special instrument being built to investigate these processes. This instrument is called the selected ion flow tube. To continue our studies we need to replace a key component which is broken and beyond repair.