US4762995A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Monodisperse aerosol generator
Assignee: Georgia Tech Research Corp
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Filing: 1986-03-19
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Granted: 1988-08-09
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Expires: 2006-03-19
Abstract
Abstract A monodisperse aerosol generator forms a stable jet of liquid at a velocity allowing columnar breakup into droplets of uniform size and spacing. To prevent degradation of the monodisperse aerosol, it is dispersed by entrainment in a high velocity gaseous stream. To provide an interface for direct injection into a mass spectrometer or to interface a liquid chromatograph with a mass spectrometer, the generator is followed by a desolvation chamber operating at about atmospheric pressure and a multistage pressure reducer which evacuates solvent vapor and gaseous medium to form a high momentum, solvent-depleted solute aerosol beam which is input into the mass spectrometer. To permit the analysis of higher molecular weight molecules that may be either involatile or thermal sensitive, a fast atom bombardment (FAB) source is used for the production of FAB mass spectra.
Inventors
- 👤 Richard F. Browner
- 👤 Ross C. Willoughby
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 05:03
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01J; H01J49/00; H01J49/02; H01J49/10; H01J49/14; B; B01; B01F; B01F23/00; B01F23/20; B01F23/21; B05; B05B; B05B1/00; B05B1/02; G; G01; G01N; G01N30/00; G01N30/02; G01N30/62; G01N30/72; G01N30/7233; G01N30/724; G01N30/7246; G01N30/7293; H01J49/04; H01J49/0431; H01J49/0445; H01J49/045; G01N30/7206; G01N30/7213; G01N30/74
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
130 words
A method of introducing solute recovered from effluent of a liquid chromatograph into a mass spectrometer, which comprises the steps of: (a) generating a monodisperse aerosol from the effluent by delivering the effluent through a conduit at a velocity such that monodisperse droplet formation occurs (b) providing a dispersing gas; (c) dispersing the formed droplets with the gas; (d) entraining the aerosol in gas and desolvating the aerosol at substantially atmospheric pressure; (e) expanding the components of step (b) (d) into low pressure environment while removing gas therefrom to form a high momentum monodisperse aerosol beam of solute particles; (f) directing said beam into a mass spectrometer; and (g) ionizing the monodisperse beam of solute particles by bombarding the solute particles with atoms originating from a fast atom bombardment source.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
130 words
A method of introducing solute recovered from effluent of a liquid chromatograph into a mass spectrometer, which comprises the steps of: (a) generating a monodisperse aerosol from the effluent by delivering the effluent through a conduit at a velocity such that monodisperse droplet formation occurs (b) providing a dispersing gas; (c) dispersing the formed droplets with the gas; (d) entraining the aerosol in gas and desolvating the aerosol at substantially atmospheric pressure; (e) expanding the components of step (b) (d) into low pressure environment while removing gas therefrom to form a high momentum monodisperse aerosol beam of solute particles; (f) directing said beam into a mass spectrometer; and (g) ionizing the monodisperse beam of solute particles by bombarding the solute particles with atoms originating from a fast atom bombardment source.
Claim 3
Independent Claim
160 words
A system for introducing solvent depleted solute recovered from effluent of a liquid chromatograph into a mass spectrometer which comprises: (a) means for generating a monodisperse aerosol from the effluent by supplying liquid to a nozzle at a rate sufficient to produce a stable jet of liquid having a velocity such that monodisperse droplet breakup of the jet occurs; (b) dispersing means for entraining the droplets just after the point of droplet formation in a high velocity flow of gas so as to retain the monodisperse nature thereof; (c) a desolvating chamber for producing the solvent depleted solute; (d) pressure reduction means for expanding said gas with entrained droplets into a low pressure environment while removing gas therefrom to form a high momentum monodisperse aerosol beam of solute particles; (e) means for directing said beam into a mass spectrometer; and (f) a fast atom bombardment source for ionizing the monodisperse beam by bombarding the solute particles with atoms originating therefrom.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
160 words
A system for introducing solvent depleted solute recovered from effluent of a liquid chromatograph into a mass spectrometer which comprises: (a) means for generating a monodisperse aerosol from the effluent by supplying liquid to a nozzle at a rate sufficient to produce a stable jet of liquid having a velocity such that monodisperse droplet breakup of the jet occurs; (b) dispersing means for entraining the droplets just after the point of droplet formation in a high velocity flow of gas so as to retain the monodisperse nature thereof; (c) a desolvating chamber for producing the solvent depleted solute; (d) pressure reduction means for expanding said gas with entrained droplets into a low pressure environment while removing gas therefrom to form a high momentum monodisperse aerosol beam of solute particles; (e) means for directing said beam into a mass spectrometer; and (f) a fast atom bombardment source for ionizing the monodisperse beam by bombarding the solute particles with atoms originating therefrom.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said gas removal comprises the step of: expanding said aerosol and gas into a first vacuum chamber having a pressure in the range of 2-10 torr.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method of claim 3 wherein said gas removal further comprises the step of: expanding said aerosol and gas from said first vacuum chamber to a second vacuum chamber having a pressure in the range of 0.1 to 1.0 torr.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
15 words
The system of claim 2 wherein said desolvating chamber is maintained at about atmospheric pressure.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
33 words
The system of claim 2 further comprising a vacuum chamber for continuously evacuating gaseous medium and a vacuum pump which maintains said vacuum chamber at a pressure in the range of 2-10 torr.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
31 words
The system of claim 6 further comprising a second vacuum chamber and a second vacuum pump which maintains said second vacuum chamber at a pressure in the range of 0.1-1.0 torr.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1991-08-09 | 1992-02-08 | 1992-08-09 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1995-08-09 | 1996-02-08 | 1996-08-09 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1999-08-09 | 2000-02-08 | 2000-08-09 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |