Performance, Resolving Power, and Radial Ion Distributions of a Prototype Nanoelectrospray Ionization Resistive Glass Atmospheric Pressure Ion Mobility Spectrometer

Abstract

In this article, we describe and characterize a novel ion mobility spectrometer constructed with monolithic resistive glass desolvation and drift regions. This instrument is equipped with switchable corona discharge and nanoelectrospray ionization sources and a Faraday plate detector. Following description of the instrument, pulsing electronics, and data acquisition system, we examine the effects of drift gas flow rate and temperature, and of the aperture grid to anode distance on the observed resolving power and sensitivity. Once optimum experimental parameters are identified, different ion gate pulse lengths, and their effect on the temporal spread of the ion packet were investigated. Resolving power ranged from an average value of 50 ms/ms for a 400-micros ion gate pulse, up to an average value of 68 ms/ms for a 100-micros ion gate pulse, and a 26-cm drift tube operated at 383 V cm(-1). Following these experiments, the radial distribution of ions in the drift region of the spectrometer was studied by using anodes of varying sizes, showing that the highest ionic density was located at the center of the drift tube. Finally, we demonstrate the applicability of this instrument to the study of small molecules of environmental relevance by analyzing a commercially available siderophore, deferoxamine mesylate, in both the free ligand and Fe-bound forms. Ion mobility experiments showed a dramatic shift to shorter drift times caused by conformational changes upon metal binding, in agreement with previous reversed-phase liquid chromatography observations.