Quality analysis device

Abstract

Ensure sufficient space for installing the heater while properly heating the desolvation tube. [Solution] One aspect of the present invention is an ion analyzer comprising an interface section (3) for taking ions generated from a liquid sample in an ionization chamber (11) under approximately atmospheric pressure into a vacuum chamber (12), wherein the interface section comprises a transport pipe (30) through which ions flow, a first heating block (34) attached to the ionization chamber side of a partition wall (9), which is part of the main body of the apparatus separating the ionization chamber and the vacuum chamber, and having a heater (35) embedded in or in contact with it, a second heating block (33) separate from the first heating block and having a hole (33b) through which the transport pipe is inserted, and a cover member (32) that is detachably attached to the ionization chamber side of the partition wall and covers the first and second heating blocks such that one end of the transport pipe inserted into the hole of the second heating block protrudes, and which, when attached to the partition wall, presses the second heating block against the first heating block in a state where both heating blocks are in surface contact.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a mass spectrometer, and more particularly to a mass spectrometer provided with an ion source for ionizing components in a liquid sample under a substantially atmospheric pressure.

Background Art

[0002] In a mass spectrometer used in a liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer (LC-MS), in order to ionize components in an eluate containing components eluted from a column of a liquid chromatograph (LC), an ion source based on a so-called atmospheric pressure ionization method is used. As the atmospheric pressure ionization method, an electrospray ionization (ESI) method, an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) method, an atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) method, etc. are well known.

[0003] In a mass spectrometer equipped with such an atmospheric pressure ion source, in order to perform mass spectrometry on ions generated inside an ionization chamber which is in a substantially atmospheric pressure atmosphere, it is necessary to transport the ions to a vacuum chamber. For example, in the mass spectrometers described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the ionization chamber and the intermediate vacuum chamber in the next stage are connected by a narrow-diameter pipeline called a desolvation line (DL: Desolvation Line), and the ions generated in the ionization chamber are transported through the desolvation line to the intermediate vacuum chamber. There may be cases where charged droplets in which the solvent is not sufficiently vaporized fly into the desolvation line as they are, and in order to promote the vaporization of the solvent from such droplets to achieve ionization, the desolvation line is heated to an appropriate temperature.

[0004] With the use of the apparatus for a long time, clogging may occur in the desolvation line due to the solvent, mobile phase, and sample. Therefore, in a general mass spectrometer of this type, the desolvation line has a structure that can be replaced relatively easily. For example, in the mass spectrometer disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1, a plate-like component (heater flange) attached to the apparatus main body is removed forward from the ionization chamber side, and the DL assembly including the desolvation line is pulled out from the back side of the heater flange, so that the desolvation line can be replaced.

[0005] A cartridge heater and a heating block are fixed to the heater flange, as disclosed in Patent Document 2. The desolvation tube is inserted into a hole formed in the heating block, causing the desolvation tube to come into contact with the heating block. In addition, to supply heating power to the cartridge heater, the heater flange to which the cartridge heater is attached is connected to the main body of the device by a pair of male and female connectors. When the heater flange is attached to the main body of the device, the male and female connectors are mated together. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-82497 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2023 / 073983 [Non-patent literature]

[0007] [Non-Patent Document 1] "LCMS (How to replace DL)", [online], [searched December 9, 2024], Shimadzu Corporation, Internet <url: https: faq.an.shimadzu.co.jp faq show 3135?site_domain="default"> [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] In recent years, as the applications of mass spectrometers have expanded, there has been a growing demand for smaller installation spaces, making miniaturization of mass spectrometers a key challenge. In particular, due to the characteristics of their structure, mass spectrometers have a relatively large depth, and there is a need to reduce this depth. Reducing the depth requires shortening the desolvation tube, but in the conventional structure described above, it is difficult to secure space to mount the cartridge heater to the heating block if the desolvation tube is to be shortened. Furthermore, in the conventional structure described above, inserting and removing connectors is necessary when attaching and detaching the heater flange to the instrument body, resulting in poor workability and concerns about damaging the connectors.

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its primary objective is to provide a mass spectrometer that can appropriately heat the desolvation tube while ensuring sufficient space for installing a cartridge heater, even when the desolvation tube is shortened. Another objective of the present invention is to provide a mass spectrometer that can avoid the need to insert and remove connectors for supplying power to the heater cartridge during desolvation tube replacement or other operations. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] To solve the above problems, one aspect of the mass spectrometer according to the present invention is a mass spectrometer equipped with an interface unit that takes in ions generated from a liquid sample in an ionization chamber under approximately atmospheric pressure into a vacuum chamber, wherein the interface unit is A transport pipe through which ions circulate, A first heating block is attached to the ionization chamber side of a partition wall, which is part of the main body of the apparatus that separates the ionization chamber and the vacuum chamber, and is provided so as to have a heater embedded in or in contact with the partition wall, A second heating block, separate from the first heating block, has a hole through which the transport pipe is inserted, A member that is detachably attached to the ionization chamber side of the partition wall and covers the second heating block and the first heating block such that one end of the transport pipe inserted through the hole in the second heating block protrudes, and when attached to the partition wall, the cover member presses the second heating block against the first heating block in a state where the second heating block and the first heating block are in surface contact, It is equipped with. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the above embodiment of the mass spectrometer according to the present invention, the transport tube (solvent removal tube) can be appropriately heated via the first heating block and the second heating block while a heater for heating the transport tube (solvent removal tube) is provided on the partition wall side, i.e., on the main body side of the apparatus. As a result, even if the length of the transport tube is shortened and it is not possible to attach an elongated cartridge heater along the longitudinal direction of the transport tube, sufficient space for attaching the cartridge heater can be secured between the main body of the apparatus and the cover member. Consequently, the transport tube can be made shorter, and the apparatus can be made smaller. Furthermore, since the heater is attached on the main body side of the apparatus, the wiring for supplying power to the heater can be connected using a connector provided on the main body of the apparatus. As a result, when attaching or detaching the cover member to replace the transport tube, the work of inserting and removing the connector is not required, improving the workability of parts replacement and preventing damage to the connector and wiring. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] A diagram showing the main components of a mass spectrometer, which is one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] A schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing the general configuration of the interface section in the mass spectrometer of this embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 2 shows a roughly vertical cross-sectional view of the interface section when attaching or detaching the cover member. [Figure 4] Figure 2 shows a roughly vertical cross-sectional view of the interface section when the desolvation tube assembly is attached to and detached from the cover member. [Mode for Carrying Out the Invention]

[0013] The mass spectrometer according to the present invention includes various types of mass spectrometers that transport and analyze ions generated in an ion source under approximately atmospheric pressure to a vacuum chamber. Hereinafter, an embodiment of the mass spectrometer according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014] [Overall Configuration and Operation of the Mass Spectrometer of the Present Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a schematic overall configuration diagram of the mass spectrometer of the present embodiment. This mass spectrometer is a so-called single-type quadrupole mass spectrometer. For the sake of convenience of explanation, in the figure, three axes of X, Y, and Z that are orthogonal to each other are defined in space.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the inside of chamber 1 in the mass spectrometer of the present embodiment is partitioned into four parts: ionization chamber 11, first intermediate vacuum chamber 12, second intermediate vacuum chamber 13, and analysis chamber 14. The inside of ionization chamber 11 is in an approximately atmospheric pressure atmosphere. The inside of analysis chamber 14 is maintained in a high-vacuum atmosphere by evacuation with a high-performance vacuum pump (not shown), and the inside of first intermediate vacuum chamber 12 and second intermediate vacuum chamber 13 is also evacuated by a vacuum pump respectively. This mass spectrometer has a configuration of a multi-stage differential pumping system in which the degree of vacuum increases in order from ionization chamber 11 toward analysis chamber 14.

[0016] An ESI probe 2 is arranged as an ion source in ionization chamber 11, and a liquid sample containing sample components is sprayed as fine charged droplets in generally the X-axis direction from ESI probe 2. The charged droplets sprayed from ESI probe 2 come into contact with the gas in ionization chamber 11 and are miniaturized. Also, the droplets are miniaturized by the active evaporation of the solvent from the droplets. In the process, the sample components in the droplets have charges and jump out to become ions.

[0017] The ionization chamber 11 with a slightly higher atmospheric pressure atmosphere and the first intermediate vacuum chamber 12 with a vacuum atmosphere are separated by a partition wall 9, and an interface portion 3 including a desolvation tube 30 that functions as a transport tube for transporting ions is provided on the partition wall 9. The central axis of the ion intake port 30a, which is the opening on the ionization chamber 11 side of the desolvation tube 30, extends substantially parallel to the Z-axis. Since there is a pressure difference between both open ends of the desolvation tube 30, a gas flow that flows from the ionization chamber 11 to the first intermediate vacuum chamber 12 through the desolvation tube 30 is formed by this pressure difference. Ions derived from the sample components generated in the ionization chamber 11 mainly ride on this gas flow, are sucked into the desolvation tube 30 through the ion intake port 30a, and are discharged into the first intermediate vacuum chamber 12 together with the gas flow.

[0018] The ions that enter the first intermediate vacuum chamber 12 are converged near the small hole at the top of the substantially conical skimmer 5 that separates the first intermediate vacuum chamber 12 and the second intermediate vacuum chamber 13 by the action of the electric field formed by the multipole-type ion guide 4. The ions that pass through the small hole of the skimmer 5 are sent to the analysis chamber 14 through the ion guide 6 arranged in the second intermediate vacuum chamber 13. Inside the analysis chamber 14, a quadrupole mass filter 7 and a detector 8 are arranged. The ions are introduced into the space in the longitudinal direction of the quadrupole mass filter 7 along the ion optical axis C parallel to the Z-axis, and only the ions having a specific mass-to-charge ratio (m / z) pass through the quadrupole mass filter 7 and reach the detector 8 by the action of the electric field formed by the voltage applied to the quadrupole mass filter 7. The detector 8 generates a detection signal corresponding to the amount of the ions that have reached and sends it to a data processing unit (not shown). In this mass spectrometer, the analysis sensitivity can be improved by sending a larger amount of ions into the quadrupole mass filter 7, that is, by subjecting them to analysis.

[0019] In this embodiment, the ion source performs ionization by the ESI method, but other ionization methods that perform ionization under approximately atmospheric pressure, such as the APCI method, APPI method, and even the atmospheric pressure matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (AP-MALDI) method, probe electrospray ionization (PESI) method, desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) method, and direct ionization (DART) method, may also be used.

[0020] [Configuration and Function of the Interface Section] Referring to Figures 2 to 4, the configuration of the interface section 3 that transports ions from the ionization chamber 11 to the vacuum atmosphere will be described in detail.

[0021] The partition wall 9 and the desolvation tube holder 10 fixed to the partition wall 9 are part of the main body of the apparatus that constitutes the chamber 1. The desolvation tube 30, which is a thin, cylindrical metal tube made of stainless steel or the like, and the annular desolvation tube fixing flange 31 are integrated by welding or the like. The desolvation tube holder 10 has a cylindrical desolvation tube receiving hole 10a with an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the desolvation tube 30, and an ion ejection passage 10b of a predetermined diameter is provided through the bottom of the desolvation tube receiving hole 10a. That is, as shown in Figure 3, when the desolvation tube 30 is not installed, the ionization chamber 11 and the first intermediate vacuum chamber 12 are in communication through the desolvation tube receiving hole 10a and the ion ejection passage 10b.

[0022] A first heating block 34 is attached to the inner surface of a roughly U-shaped (or roughly C-shaped) portion 9a of the partition wall 9 facing the ionization chamber 11, via an elastic member 36 that expands and contracts in the Z-axis direction. The elastic member 36 is typically a compression coil spring. The first heating block 34 (and the second heating block 33, described later) is made of a metal such as aluminum, which has good thermal conductivity. A long, slender cartridge heater 35 is embedded in the first heating block 34, and the first heating block 34 is heated by this cartridge heater 35. Heating wiring 35a for supplying heating power to the cartridge heater 35 is inserted through a wiring inlet 9b formed in the roughly U-shaped portion 9a of the partition wall 9 and connected to a connector that is not visible in Figure 2. The heating wiring 35a is connected via this connector to wiring leading to a circuit unit located outside the chamber 1. Although not shown in the diagram, wiring for applying a predetermined voltage to the desolvation tube 30 is also inserted through the wiring inlet 9b, and its end is connected to the first heating block 34. A gas inlet 9c is also formed in the roughly U-shaped portion 9a of the partition wall 9, and gas piping (not shown) is connected to the gas inlet 9c.

[0023] A roughly box-shaped heater cover 32, with one side open, is detachably attached to the wall of the partition wall 9 on the ionization chamber 11 side by screws or other mounting members (not shown). A second heating block 33 is attached to the back surface of the heater cover 32 (the side facing the partition wall 9) via a flat insulating member 37. The second heating block 33 is made of the same material as the first heating block 34 and has a cylindrical portion 33a with a hole 33b formed inside through which a desolvation tube 30 is inserted. As shown in Figure 4, the desolvation tube 30 is inserted through the hole 33b of the cylindrical portion 33a such that the desolvation tube fixing flange 31 is in general contact with the second heating block 33. At this time, one end of the desolvation tube 30, whose end is the ion intake port 30a, protrudes to the outside of the heater cover 32 from the flange 32a of the heater cover 32.

[0024] The other end of the desolvation tube 30 (the end on the ion outlet 30b side) is inserted into the desolvation tube receiving hole 10a. At this time, an annular sealing member 38 is sandwiched between the desolvation tube fixing flange 31 and the desolvation tube holding part 10. The ion outlet 30b of the desolvation tube 30 is in close contact with the bottom of the desolvation tube receiving hole 10a, thereby connecting the tubing of the desolvation tube 30 with the ion ejection passage 10b. The gas containing ions and charged droplets that have passed through the tubing of the desolvation tube 30 passes through the ion ejection passage 10b and is ejected into the first intermediate vacuum chamber 12 as a supersonic jet stream.

[0025] As shown in Figure 2, when the heater cover 32 is properly attached to the partition wall 9, the opposing surfaces of the second heating block 33 and the first heating block 34 are in close contact, and the second heating block 33 pushes the first heating block 34 in the positive direction (rightward) of the Z axis. Since the first heating block 34 is fixed to the partition wall 9 via the elastic member 36, as described above, when the first heating block 34 is pushed, the elastic member 36 is compressed, and the biasing force of the elastic member 36 pushing back in response causes the first heating block 34 to be in close contact with the second heating block 33. As a result, when the heater cover 32 is attached to the partition wall 9, good thermal conductivity is ensured between the first heating block 34 and the second heating block 33.

[0026] Furthermore, the desolvation tube fixing flange 31 pushes the sealing member 38 to the right, causing the sealing member 38 to collapse and become airtight. This prevents gas from flowing from the space inside the heater cover 32 into the gap between the inner surface of the desolvation tube receiving hole 10a and the outer surface of the desolvation tube 30. The heater cover 32 covers the first heating block 34, the second heating block 33, and most of the desolvation tube assembly (excluding the portion protruding from the flange 32a).

[0027] As shown in Figure 4, when replacing the desolvation tube assembly from a state where the heater cover 32 is attached to the partition wall 9, the user removes the heater cover 32 from the partition wall 9. As shown in Figure 3, the heater cover 32 is removed with the second heating block 33 and the desolvation tube assembly housed inside it. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, the user removes only the desolvation tube assembly by pulling out the desolvation tube 30 from the back of the heater cover 32 by holding the desolvation tube fixing flange 31. When installing a new desolvation tube assembly, the procedure can be reversed from the removal procedure described above.

[0028] The interface section 3 of the structure described above functions as follows during analysis. During analysis, the cartridge heater 35 becomes hot due to the heating current supplied through the heating wiring 35a. This heat is then conducted sequentially to the first heating block 34, which is in contact with the cartridge heater 35, and to the second heating block 33, which is in contact with the first heating block 34, heating the desolvation tube 30 from the cylindrical portion 33a of the second heating block 33. The temperature of the desolvation tube 30 is monitored by a temperature sensor (not shown), and the heating current supplied to the cartridge heater 35 is controlled so that the temperature is maintained at a target temperature. Furthermore, since the first heating block 34, the second heating block, and the desolvation tube 30 are electrically connected, when a predetermined voltage is applied to the first heating block 34 from wiring (not shown), this voltage is applied to the desolvation tube 30 through the second heating block 33.

[0029] As described above, when ions derived from the sample generated in the ionization chamber 11, and charged droplets in which the solvent (mobile phase) has not yet fully vaporized, are drawn into the desolvation tube 30 from the ion intake port 30a by the gas flow, the vaporization of the solvent in the charged droplets progresses further as they pass through the desolvation tube 30, which is maintained at a high temperature. This promotes the generation of ions derived from the sample. The generated ions then pass through the ion ejection passage 10b and are discharged into the first intermediate vacuum chamber 12 by the high-speed gas flow, where they are focused by the electric field formed by the ion guide 4.

[0030] In the interface section 3, as shown by the dashed arrow in Figure 3, an inert gas such as N2 is supplied from a gas pipe (not shown) through the gas inlet 9c to the inside of the U-shaped section 9a. This gas is heated by the first heating block 34 and the second heating block 33, passes through the narrow gap between the desolvation tube fixing flange and the second heating block 33, and the narrow gap between the outer surface of the desolvation tube 30 and the inner surface of the hole 33b in the second heating block 33, and is blown out from the inside of the flange 32a of the heater cover 32. That is, this heated gas flows opposite to the flow of gas drawn into the desolvation tube 30 from the ionization chamber 11. This further promotes the vaporization of the solvent in the charged droplets contained in the gas flow drawn into the desolvation tube 30.

[0031] [Effects of the interface section] The effects of configuring interface unit 3 as described above are listed below. (1) In the conventional mass spectrometer described in Patent Document 2, the cartridge heater and heating block were arranged on the heater flange so as to extend along the longitudinal direction of the desolvation tube, and therefore the size of the interface section in the Z-axis direction was large in order to secure space for the cartridge heater and heating block. In contrast, in the mass spectrometer of this embodiment, the heating block is separated into two parts, a first heating block 34 and a second heating block 33, and the cartridge heater 35 is arranged on the main body (partition wall 9) side of the apparatus, so even if the size of the interface section 3 in the Z-axis direction is reduced, sufficient space can be secured for the cartridge heater 35. As a result the desolvation tube 30 can be shortened, which is advantageous for miniaturizing the entire apparatus.

[0032] (2) Since the cartridge heater 35 remains attached to the main body of the apparatus, when removing the desolvation tube assembly from the interface section 3 or reattaching it to the interface section 3, it is unnecessary to insert or remove the connector that relays the heating wiring 35a that supplies power to the cartridge heater 35. This simplifies operations such as replacing the desolvation tube assembly by the user and avoids damage to the wiring and connector that often occurs when inserting or removing the connector.

[0033] (3) The connector that relays the heating wiring 35a that supplies power to the cartridge heater 35 can be placed at a position sufficiently far away from the cartridge heater 35 and heating blocks 33, 34, and other parts that become particularly hot. As a result, even when a resin with relatively low heat resistance is used for the connector, the temperature setting of the desolvation tube 30 can be set higher than in the conventional method, further promoting the vaporization of the solvent in the charged droplet and improving the ion generation efficiency.

[0034] [Differentiation] The shape, arrangement, and size of each component in the interface section 3 of the mass spectrometer in the above embodiment can be changed as appropriate. For example, in the above configuration, the second heating block 33 was attached to the heater cover 32 via a heat insulating member 37, but the second heating block 33 may not be fixed to the heater cover 32, and the positioning of the second heating block 33 may be determined by inserting the desolvation tube 30 through a hole formed in the second heating block 33.

[0035] Furthermore, although the above embodiment is an example of applying the present invention to a single-type quadrupole mass spectrometer, the present invention can also be applied to other types of mass spectrometers that use ion sources by various atmospheric pressure ionization methods as described above, and transport the ions generated in the ion source into a vacuum atmosphere for analysis. Specifically, this includes triple quadrupole mass spectrometers, quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometers, and the like.

[0036] Furthermore, the above embodiments and modifications are merely examples of the present invention, and it is clear that any further modifications, additions, or alterations made as appropriate within the scope of the present invention will be included within the scope of the claims of this patent application.

[0037] [Various forms] Those skilled in the art will understand that the exemplary embodiments described above are specific examples of the following embodiments.

[0038] (Section 1) One embodiment of the mass spectrometer according to the present invention is an ion analyzer comprising an interface unit that takes in ions generated from a liquid sample in an ionization chamber (11) under approximately atmospheric pressure into a vacuum chamber, wherein the interface unit is A transport pipe through which ions circulate, A first heating block is attached to the ionization chamber side of a partition wall, which is part of the main body of the apparatus that separates the ionization chamber and the vacuum chamber, and is provided so as to have a heater embedded in or in contact with the partition wall, A second heating block, separate from the first heating block, has a hole through which the transport pipe is inserted, A member that is detachably attached to the ionization chamber side of the partition wall and covers the second heating block and the first heating block such that one end of the transport pipe inserted through the hole in the second heating block protrudes, and when attached to the partition wall, the cover member presses the second heating block against the first heating block in a state where the second heating block and the first heating block are in surface contact, It is equipped with.

[0039] According to the mass spectrometer described in paragraph 1, the transport tube can be appropriately heated via the first and second heating blocks while a heater for heating the transport tube is provided on the partition side, i.e., on the main body side of the apparatus. As a result, even if the length of the transport tube is shortened and it is not possible to attach a long, slender cartridge heater along the longitudinal direction of the transport tube, sufficient space for attaching the cartridge heater can be secured between the main body of the apparatus and the cover member. Consequently, the transport tube can be made shorter, and the apparatus can be made smaller. Furthermore, since the heater is attached on the main body side of the apparatus, the wiring for supplying power to the heater can be connected using a connector provided on the main body of the apparatus. This eliminates the need to insert and remove the connector when attaching or detaching the cover member to replace the transport tube, improving the workability of parts replacement and preventing damage to the connector and wiring.

[0040] (Section 2) In the mass spectrometer described in Section 1, the interface section may further include a biasing section that biases at least one of the heating blocks in a direction that strengthens the contact between the first heating block and the second heating block when the cover member is attached to the partition wall.

[0041] Here, an elastic member such as a compression coil spring can be used as the biasing member. According to the mass spectrometer described in paragraph 2, the adhesion between the first heating block, which directly receives heat from the heater, and the second heating block, which transmits heat to the desolvation tube, is improved, thereby increasing thermal conductivity and enabling the desolvation tube to be heated effectively.

[0042] (3) In the mass spectrometer described in paragraph 2, the first heating block may be attached to the partition wall via the biasing unit, and the second heating block may be attached to the cover member.

[0043] In the mass spectrometer described in paragraph 3, when the cover member is attached to the partition wall, the second heating block attached to the cover member pushes against the first heating block, and the biasing part pushes back against the first heating block, thereby improving the adhesion between the first heating block and the second heating block. As a result, attaching the cover member to the partition wall enhances the adhesion between the first heating block and the second heating block, allowing the desolvation tube to be heated effectively.

[0044] (Article 4) In the mass spectrometer described in any one of Articles 1 to 3, when the cover member is removed from the partition wall, the desolvation tube may be configured to be inserted into the second heating block and separated from the partition wall together with the cover member.

[0045] According to the mass spectrometer described in paragraph 4, the desolvation tube can be easily removed from the interface by removing the cover member and pulling the desolvation tube out of the second heating block attached to the cover member. This improves the workability of replacing the desolvation tube.

[0046] (Article 5) In the mass spectrometer described in any one of paragraphs 1 to 4, the heater may be an elongated cartridge heater and may be arranged to extend in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the solvent tube.

[0047] According to the mass spectrometer described in Section 5, the size of the interface section in the direction of ion transport, which transports ions from the ionization chamber to the vacuum chamber while sufficiently heating the desolvation tube, can be reduced. This makes it possible to miniaturize the apparatus. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1... Chamber 11…Ionization Chamber 12…First intermediate vacuum chamber 13…Second Intermediate Vacuum Chamber 14…Analysis room 2…ESI probe 3…Interface section 30…Desolvation tube 30a...Ion intake 30b... Aeon Exit 31... Desolvent tube flange 32... Heater cover 32a…Flange 33…Second heating block 33a...Cylindrical part 33b…hole 34…First heating block 35…Cartridge heater 35a...Heating wiring 36…Elastic member 37…Insulation section 38...Sealing material 4…Aeon Guide 5... Skimmer 6…Ion Guide 7. Quadrupole Mass Filter 8… Detector 9...Bulkhead 9a...About U-shaped part 9b...Wiring entry point 9c...Gas inlet 10... Desolvation tube holding section 10a... Receiving hole for desolvation tube 10b...Ion ejection channel< / url:>

Claims

1. An ion analyzer comprising an interface unit for introducing ions generated from a liquid sample into a vacuum chamber in an ionization chamber under approximately atmospheric pressure, wherein the interface unit is: A transport pipe through which ions circulate, A first heating block is attached to the ionization chamber side of a partition wall, which is part of the main body of the apparatus that separates the ionization chamber and the vacuum chamber, and is provided so as to be embedded in or in contact with the heater. A second heating block, separate from the first heating block, has a hole through which the transport pipe is inserted, A member that is detachably attached to the ionization chamber side of the partition wall and covers the second heating block and the first heating block such that one end of the transport pipe inserted through the hole in the second heating block protrudes, and when attached to the partition wall, the cover member presses the second heating block against the first heating block in a state where the second heating block and the first heating block are in surface contact, A mass spectrometer equipped with the following features.

2. The mass spectrometer according to claim 1, wherein the interface portion further comprises a biasing portion that biases at least one of the heating blocks in a direction that strengthens contact between the first heating block and the second heating block when the cover member is attached to the partition wall.

3. The mass spectrometer according to claim 2, wherein the first heating block is attached to the partition wall via the biasing portion, and the second heating block is attached to the cover member.

4. The mass spectrometer according to claim 1, wherein when the cover member is removed from the partition wall, the desolvation tube is inserted into the second heating block and separated from the partition wall together with the cover member.

5. The mass spectrometer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the heater is an elongated cartridge heater and is arranged to extend in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the solvent tube.

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