Multi-atmospheric pressure ionisation interface for liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.
We describe the structure of a multi-atmospheric pressure ionisation (multi-API) interface for liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). This interface includes five modes of atmospheric pressure spray with electron impact ionisation (APEI), atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation (APCI), atmospheric pressure spray ionisation (APSI), electrospray ionisation (ESI) and sonic spray ionisation (SSI). This LC-MS system was realised by developing an APEI interface which resembles other API interfaces and a highly sensitive API interface using advanced collision induced dissociation in a differential pumping region and an electrostatic ion guide. This system can deal with a wide variety of organic compounds from hydrocarbons with low polarity to proteins with high polarity by using the five modes.