Mass Spectrometry Radical Irradiation for Unsaturated Bond Mapping

The patent introduces a reaction chamber as an intermediary component between the ion source and mass analyzer. Precursor ions are generated and then transferred to this dedicated reaction chamber where ozone or other reagents can be safely introduced to induce selective dissociation at unsaturated bond positions. The reaction chamber acts as a protected environment that prevents direct contact between reactive species and sensitive mass spectrometer components, thereby maintaining measurement precision while protecting equipment from oxidation and damage.

The patent employs chemical reaction-based dissociation in a dedicated reaction chamber where precursor ions react with ozone or other reagents. This approach creates localized selective dissociation at unsaturated bond positions through specific chemical reactions, rather than distributing energy throughout the entire molecule as in HE-CID or electron beam methods. The local quality of the chemical reaction ensures high selectivity and reliability for inferring unsaturated bond positions, as the reaction specifically targets the unsaturated bonds while leaving other parts of the molecule unaffected.

The patent fundamentally changes the dissociation mechanism from physical vibration and collision (LE-CID) to chemical reaction with ozone or other reagents. By changing the parameter of energy delivery from distributed kinetic energy to localized chemical bond breaking, the method achieves high selectivity for unsaturated bond positions while maintaining operational simplicity. The chemical reaction parameter change ensures that only unsaturated bonds are affected, providing accurate position inference without the need for complex energy distribution control.