Improvement of resolution and transmission in collisional activation mass spectrometry: Some basic considerations

Abstract The influence of kinetic energy release on the mass resolution and transmission in collisional activation mass spectrometry was studied. Some ion-optical conditions are given for a tandem mass spectrometer which can reduce the angular- and energy-spread of the fragment ions. The results indicate that post-acceleration after the collision chamber leads to a larger improvement of the mass resolution than an increased impact energy (pre-acceleration), if the second stage of the mass spectrometer is a magnetic sector instrument. To obtain optimal results one can interchange pre- and post-acceleration for sensitivity and resolution.