Mass Spectrometer Ion Mobility Fragment Association
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current mass spectrometry methods face challenges in identifying constituents, especially lipids, within biological samples due to limited information from parent ion selection and the inability to determine which fragments result from which parent ions without mass selection.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the association of parent and fragmentation ions by measuring ion mobility, allowing for the determination of fragment ions originating from parent ions without the need for mass selection, through steps like exciting spots on a sample surface, determining ion mobility, and fragmenting ions to produce sets of parent and fragment ions for comparison.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If parent ion selection is performed to obtain structural information, then identification accuracy of constituents is improved, but the number of components that can be identified is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The method segments the analysis process into multiple spatial locations across the sample, performing MS/MS at each location independently. This allows comprehensive identification of multiple components without requiring pre-selection of parent ions, as each location's fragments are correlated to its parent ions through ion mobility matching.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds the ion mobility dimension to the traditional mass spectrometry analysis. By measuring ion mobility for both parent and fragment ions and matching them across different spatial locations, the method enables comprehensive component identification without parent ion selection, resolving the contradiction between identification accuracy and the number of components identified.
2Productivity
If full parent ion spectrum is acquired without mass selection, then the number of components identified is improved, but the ability to identify which fragments result from which parent ions is lost
Solution Approach 1:
Ion mobility serves as an intermediary parameter that bridges parent ions and fragment ions. By measuring ion mobility for both types of ions and matching them across different spatial locations, the method establishes fragment-parent associations without requiring mass selection, thus preserving identification information while maintaining comprehensive component detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces ion mobility as an additional dimension to distinguish fragment-parent relationships. This extra dimension allows the system to correlate fragments with their parent ions across multiple spatial locations without losing association information, even when acquiring full spectra without mass selection.
3Measurement precision
If MS/MS experiment is performed to obtain structural information, then structural identification capability is improved, but the complexity of the analysis method increases
Solution Approach 1:
The method merges imaging mass spectrometry with MS/MS by performing both functions simultaneously at multiple spatial locations. Ion mobility measurement is integrated into the process, allowing fragment-parent correlation without requiring separate experiments. This combining approach achieves structural identification while managing analytical complexity through a unified workflow.
Solution Approach 2:
The method performs preliminary ion mobility measurement on parent ions before fragmentation occurs. This preliminary action establishes a reference for matching fragment ions later, simplifying the overall analysis by preparing the data structure in advance rather than requiring complex post-processing to establish fragment-parent relationships.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables the identification of fragment ions originating from parent ions, providing structural information and improving the analysis of biological samples by correlating ion quantities across different areas, thus enhancing the identification of sample constituents.
Implementation Method 1
determining the mass to charge ratio of at least some of the ions from the first set of parent analyte ions as a function of ion mobility of the ions; determining the ion mobility of at least some of the ions of the second set of parent analyte ions
Implementation Method 2
The determination of the mass to charge ratio is performed by time of flight mass spectrometry
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method of mass spectrometry, an apparatus adapted to perform the method and a mass spectrometer. More particularly, but not exclusively, the present invention relates to a method of mass spectrometry comprising the step of associating parent and fragmentation ions from a sample by measuring the parent and fragmentation ions from two or more different areas of the sample and identifying changes in the number of parent ions between the areas in the sample, and corresponding changes in the number of fragmentation ions between the two areas.