IONIZATION METHOD AND APPARATUS USING ELECTROSPRAY
First Claim
1. An ionization method using electrospray, comprising:
- oscillating a metal probe along the longitudinal direction thereof, with enough amplitude to bring the tip of the probe into contact with a sample, at an origin position where the tip of said probe is spaced away from the sample;
capturing the sample at the tip of said probe without applying a voltage to said probe at a position where the tip of said probe contacts the sample; and
subsequently applying a pulsed voltage, which is for producing electrospray, to said probe to thereby ionize the sample in a period of time during which the tip of said probe is in the vicinity of said origin position.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A biological sample can be subjected to measurement, description and ionization of ions is possible under atmospheric pressure without undergoing pretreatment. Imaging having a resolution on the nanometer order can be performed. An STM needle (probe) of an XYZ-axis-drive piezoelectric element is oscillated along the Z axis to contact the sample to a depth on the nanometer order and capture molecules at the needle tip. A pulsed high voltage is applied to the needle, achieving needle electrospray. The sample molecules are then desorbed and ionized, and mass spectrometry is carried out. The needle is swept in the XY directions, oscillation is repeated and an image obtained by molecular imaging of a nanometer area of the biological sample is measured. The probe may be brought into contact with a droplet produced at the tip of a capillary connected to the outlet port of a liquid chromatograph to capture a sample.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An ionization method using electrospray, comprising:
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oscillating a metal probe along the longitudinal direction thereof, with enough amplitude to bring the tip of the probe into contact with a sample, at an origin position where the tip of said probe is spaced away from the sample; capturing the sample at the tip of said probe without applying a voltage to said probe at a position where the tip of said probe contacts the sample; and subsequently applying a pulsed voltage, which is for producing electrospray, to said probe to thereby ionize the sample in a period of time during which the tip of said probe is in the vicinity of said origin position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An ionization method using electrospray, comprising:
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holding a probe so as to be capable of reciprocating between a bottom end point at which a tip of the probe contacts a sample and a top end point at which the tip of the probe is spaced away from the sample; arranging an ion guide introducing sample ions to a mass spectrometry apparatus such that the tip of the ion guide is positioned in the vicinity of the tip of the probe in the vicinity of the top end point; moving the probe toward the bottom end point and bring the tip of the probe into contact with the sample to capture the sample; causing the probe and the sample to be at the same potential at least during the probe contacts the sample; and subsequently, moving the probe toward the top end point, and applying a high voltage for electrospray between the probe and the ion guide, at least at a time when the probe is separated from the sample, to thereby ionize the sample captured at the tip of the probe. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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13. An ionization method using electrospray, comprising:
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oscillating a probe along the longitudinal direction thereof, with enough amplitude to bring the tip of the probe into contact with a sample, at an origin position where the tip of said probe is spaced away from the sample, and capturing the sample at the tip of said probe without applying a voltage to said probe at a position where the tip of said probe contacts the sample; and spraying a charged droplet from an electrospray apparatus toward the sample, which has been captured at the tip of said probe, in the vicinity of said origin position, thereby ionizing the sample. - View Dependent Claims (14)
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15. An ionization apparatus using electrospray, comprising:
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sample holding means for holding a sample; an oscillating device for oscillating a metal probe along the longitudinal direction thereof between an origin position where the tip of the probe is spaced away from the sample and a position where the tip of the probe contacts the sample; and a power supply unit for generating a pulsed voltage for electrospray in synch with oscillation of said probe; wherein no voltage is applied to said probe in a period of time during which the tip of said probe contacts the sample, and the pulsed voltage generated by said power supply unit is applied to said probe in a period of time during which the tip of said probe is in the vicinity of the origin position after the tip of said probe has contacted the sample and captured the sample. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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19. An ionization apparatus comprising:
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holding means for holding a probe so as to be capable of reciprocating between a bottom end point at which a tip of the probe contacts a sample and a top end point at which the tip of the probe is spaced away from the sample; an ion guide, arranged such that the tip of the ion guide is positioned in the vicinity of the tip of the probe in the vicinity of the top end point, for introducing sample ions from the tip thereof to a mass spectrometry apparatus; and a high voltage generating apparatus applying a high voltage for electrospray between the probe and the ion guide, at least at a time when the probe is separated from the sample.
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20. An ionization apparatus comprising:
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sample holding means for holding a sample; specimen capture means for oscillating a probe along the longitudinal direction thereof between an origin position where the tip of the probe is spaced away from the sample and a position where the tip of the probe contacts the sample, and capturing the sample without applying a voltage to said probe at a position where the tip of said probe contacts the sample; and an electrospray unit for forming an electrospray field at a position in the vicinity of the tip of the probe in the vicinity of said origin position, after the tip of said probe has contacted the sample and captured the sample.
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Specification