Thermospray
Encyclopedia
Thermospray is a form of atmospheric pressure ionization in mass spectrometry
. It transfers ions from the liquid phase to the gas phase for analysis. It is particularly useful in liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry
.
Thermospray was originally developed for coupling liquid chromatography to mass spectrometry (LC-MS) [1,2]. Thermospray may be defined as the controlled partial vaporization of a liquid as it flows through a heated capillary tube. The nebulization is accomplished by pumping a liquid sample at moderately high pressure through an electrothermally heated capillary tube [3]. When sufficient power is coupled to the flowing sample stream, a partially vaporized mixture is produced consisting of some fraction of vaporized sample and some remaining liquid sample. Upon exiting the heated capillary, the rapidly expanding sample vapor converts the remaining liquid stream to an aerosol. The vapour so produced acts as a nebulizing ‘gas’ and aids the breakup of the liquid stream into droplets [1], in a process similar to pneumatic nebulization [4]. Thus, conceptually this can be thought of as a pneumatic process where the expanding solvent vapor is used as a nebulization gas. The solution leaves the tube as a supersonic jet or spray of very small droplets in solvent vapor. Qualitatively, the aerosols appear dens with a moderately narrow particle size distribution.
Recently thermospray was also utilized for the production of semiconductor nanocrystals [5,6]
Ref:
[1] Yergey A. L., Edmonds C. G., Lewis I. A. S., Vestal M. L.; Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry, Plenum Press, New York, NY, 1990.
[2] Blakely C. R., and Vestal M. L.; Anal. Chem. 1983, 55, 750.
[3] Koropchak J. A., Veber M.; Crit. Rev. Anal. Chem. 1992, 23, 113.
[4] Browner R. F.; Fundamental aspects of aerosol generation and transport, in: P.W.J.M. Boumans (Ed.), Inductively Coupled Plasma Emission Spectrometry, Vol. 2, John Wiley and Sons, New York, NY, 1987, Chapter 8.
[5] Amirav L. and Lifshitz E.; J. Phys. Chem. C. 112, 34, 13105, 2008.
[6] Amirav L., Amirav A. and Lifshitz E.; J. Phys. Chem. B. 109; 9857-9860, 2005.
Mass spectrometry
Mass spectrometry is an analytical technique that measures the mass-to-charge ratio of charged particles.It is used for determining masses of particles, for determining the elemental composition of a sample or molecule, and for elucidating the chemical structures of molecules, such as peptides and...
. It transfers ions from the liquid phase to the gas phase for analysis. It is particularly useful in liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry
Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry
Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry is an analytical chemistry technique that combines the physical separation capabilities of liquid chromatography with the mass analysis capabilities of mass spectrometry. LC-MS is a powerful technique used for many applications which has very high...
.
Thermospray was originally developed for coupling liquid chromatography to mass spectrometry (LC-MS) [1,2]. Thermospray may be defined as the controlled partial vaporization of a liquid as it flows through a heated capillary tube. The nebulization is accomplished by pumping a liquid sample at moderately high pressure through an electrothermally heated capillary tube [3]. When sufficient power is coupled to the flowing sample stream, a partially vaporized mixture is produced consisting of some fraction of vaporized sample and some remaining liquid sample. Upon exiting the heated capillary, the rapidly expanding sample vapor converts the remaining liquid stream to an aerosol. The vapour so produced acts as a nebulizing ‘gas’ and aids the breakup of the liquid stream into droplets [1], in a process similar to pneumatic nebulization [4]. Thus, conceptually this can be thought of as a pneumatic process where the expanding solvent vapor is used as a nebulization gas. The solution leaves the tube as a supersonic jet or spray of very small droplets in solvent vapor. Qualitatively, the aerosols appear dens with a moderately narrow particle size distribution.
Recently thermospray was also utilized for the production of semiconductor nanocrystals [5,6]
Ref:
[1] Yergey A. L., Edmonds C. G., Lewis I. A. S., Vestal M. L.; Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry, Plenum Press, New York, NY, 1990.
[2] Blakely C. R., and Vestal M. L.; Anal. Chem. 1983, 55, 750.
[3] Koropchak J. A., Veber M.; Crit. Rev. Anal. Chem. 1992, 23, 113.
[4] Browner R. F.; Fundamental aspects of aerosol generation and transport, in: P.W.J.M. Boumans (Ed.), Inductively Coupled Plasma Emission Spectrometry, Vol. 2, John Wiley and Sons, New York, NY, 1987, Chapter 8.
[5] Amirav L. and Lifshitz E.; J. Phys. Chem. C. 112, 34, 13105, 2008.
[6] Amirav L., Amirav A. and Lifshitz E.; J. Phys. Chem. B. 109; 9857-9860, 2005.
See also
- ElectrosprayElectrosprayThe name electrospray is used for a device that employs electricity to disperse a liquid or for the fine aerosol resulted in this process. The method is sometimes improperly called electrohydrodynamic atomization. High voltage is applied to a liquid supplied through an emitter...
- Atmospheric pressure chemical ionizationAtmospheric pressure chemical ionizationAtmospheric-pressure chemical ionization is an ionization method used in mass spectrometry. It is a form of chemical ionization which takes place at atmospheric pressure.-How it works:...
- Thermal ionizationThermal ionizationIn thermal ionization, also referred to as surface ionization, chemically-purified material loaded onto a filament which is then heated to cause some of the material to be ionized as it boils off the hot filament...
- Sonic spray ionizationSonic spray ionizationSonic spray ionization is a method for creating ions from a liquid solution, for example, a mixture of methanol and water. A pneumatic nebulizer is used to turn the solution into a supersonic spray of small droplets. Ions are formed when the solvent evaporates and the statistically unbalanced...