Apparatus for interfacing liquid chromatograph with magnetic sector spectrometer

Claim 1

An apparatus for interfacing a liquid chromatograph with a magnetic sector mass spectrometer having a chemical ionization source therein, said apparatus comprising: nebulizing means for providing both ultrasonic and pneumatic nebulization under partial vacuum to a chromatograph effluent and dispersing the resultant particles by a flow of inert gas to produce an aerosol stream of said particles; evaporation means for evaporating liquid chromatograph solvent into gaseous components from said stream, said evaporation means having heater means therein for maintaining, through feedback temperature control means, the temperature of said aerosol stream of particles and for compensating the cooling of said stream of said effluent due to evaporation of said liquid chromatograph solvent; a momentum separator connected to said evaporation means, said momentum separator having three stages and means for providing momentum to said particles in said stream and further having vacuum means at each of said stages for removing the gaseous components present in said stream; and restricting means connected to said momentum separator and to a chemical ionization block of said chemical ionization source, said restricting means having a single opening small enough to restrict the outward flow of a reactant gas from said block to said momentum separator but large enough to transport said sample particles from said momentum separator to said chemical ionization block of said chemical ionization source.

Claim 2

An apparatus for interfacing a liquid chromatograph with a magnetic sector mass spectrometer having a chemical ionization source therein, said apparatus comprising: nebulizing means for providing both ultrasonic and pneumatic nebulization under partial vacuum to a chromatograph effluent and dispersing the resultant particles by a flow of inert gas to produce an aerosol stream of said particles; evaporation means for evaporating liquid chromatograph solvent into gaseous components from said stream, said evaporation means having heater means therein for maintaining, through feedback temperature control means, the temperature of said aerosol stream of particles and for compensating the cooling of said stream of said effluent due to evaporation of said liquid chromatograph solvent; a momentum separator connected to said evaporation means, said momentum separator having three stages and means for providing momentum to said particles in said stream and further having vacuum means at each of said stages for removing the gaseous components present in said stream; and restricting means connected to said momentum separator and to a chemical ionization block of said chemical ionization source, said restricting means having a single opening small enough to restrict the outward flow of a reactant gas from said block to said momentum separator but large enough to transport said sample particles from said momentum separator to said chemical ionization block of said chemical ionization source.

Claim 10

An apparatus for interfacing a liquid chromatograph with a magnetic sector mass spectrometer having a chemical ionization source therein, said apparatus comprising: nebulizing means for providing both ultrasonic and pneumatic nebulization under partial vacuum to a chromatograph effluent and dispersing the resultant particles by a flow of inert gas to produce an aerosol stream of said particles; evaporation means for evaporating liquid chromatograph solvent into gaseous components from said stream, said evaporation means having heater means therein for maintaining, through feedback temperature control means, the temperature of said aerosol stream of particles and for compensating the cooling of said stream of said effluent due to evaporation of said liquid chromatograph solvent; a momentum separator connected to said evaporation means, said momentum separator having three stages and means for providing momentum to said particles in said stream and further having vacuum means at each of said stages for removing the gaseous components present in said stream; and restricting means having an entrance end proximately positioned near said third stage of said momentum separator and an exit end connected to a chemical ionization block of said chemical ionization source, said restricting means having a single opening small enough to restrict the outward flow of a reactant gas from said block to said momentum separator but large enough to transport said sample particles from said momentum separator to said chemical ionization block of said chemical ionization source, said entrance end of said restricting means being sufficiently separated from said third stage and said vacuum means having sufficient pumping capacity to prevent an electrical glow discharge between said restricting means and said third stage of said momentum separator.

Claim 11

An apparatus for interfacing a liquid chromatograph with a magnetic sector mass spectrometer having a chemical ionization source therein, said apparatus comprising: nebulizing means for providing both ultrasonic and pneumatic nebulization under partial vacuum to a chromatograph effluent and dispersing the resultant particles by a flow of inert gas to produce an aerosol stream of said particles; evaporation means for evaporating liquid chromatograph solvent into gaseous components from said stream, said evaporation means having heater means therein for maintaining, through feedback temperature control means, the temperature of said aerosol stream of particles and for compensating the cooling of said stream of said effluent due to evaporation of said liquid chromatograph solvent; a momentum separator connected to said evaporation means, said momentum separator having three stages and means for providing momentum to said particles in said stream and further having vacuum means at each of said stages for removing the gaseous components present in said stream; and restricting means having an entrance end proximately positioned near said third stage of said momentum separator and an exit end connected to a chemical ionization block of said chemical ionization source, said restricting means having a single opening small enough to restrict the outward flow of a reactant gas from said block to said momentum separator but large enough to transport said sample particles from said momentum separator to said chemical ionization block of said chemical ionization source, said entrance end of said restricting means being sufficiently separated from said third stage and said vacuum means having sufficient pumping capacity to prevent an electrical glow discharge between said restricting means and said third stage of said momentum separator.