Dempster type mass spec
certainly not the best of the mass spectrometers in relevance to precision and accuracy;currently on a lab session based of TOF, it's not the most convenient instrument to use of the mass spectrometers.Why is it that time of flight mass spectrometers have basically an unlimited range of m/z values that they can analyze? I have looked, but can not find a definitive answer.
TOF (time-of-flight) mass spectrometers have unlimited m/z (mass-to-charge) range because they use a pulsed ionization method. This means that the ions are accelerated by an electric field and then allowed to travel a certain distance before being detected. The time it takes for the ions to reach the detector is directly proportional to their m/z ratio. This allows for a wider range of m/z values to be detected compared to other mass spectrometry methods.
The advantage of having an unlimited m/z range in TOF mass spectrometry is that it allows for the detection of both low and high mass ions in the same experiment. This means that a wider range of molecules can be analyzed, making it a versatile tool for various research applications.
While TOF mass spectrometers have a wider range compared to other mass spectrometry methods, they still have limitations. For example, they may have lower sensitivity and resolution for higher m/z values compared to other methods such as quadrupole mass spectrometry. Additionally, the accuracy of the m/z values may decrease at higher ranges.
The unlimited m/z range of TOF mass spectrometers is achieved by using a reflectron, which is a curved electric field that reflects the ions back towards the detector. This allows for longer flight times and thus, a wider range of m/z values to be detected.
Yes, the m/z range of TOF mass spectrometers can be adjusted by changing the strength of the electric field used to accelerate the ions. This can be useful for targeting specific m/z ranges in an experiment or for optimizing the instrument's performance for different types of samples.