Chapter 8 - Vacuum systems Flashcards
Ions need to be guided on a specific pathway influenced only by
the imposition of electric, magnetic, and/or RF fields.
A vacuum is defined as less than
1 atm
1 atm = ____ torr
760
1 atm = _____ Pa
101325
1 atm = ______ psi
14.6959
High vacuum < ________
10-3 mbar
A high vacuum assist with ion movement and separation by
- Providing an adequate mean free path for analyte ions
- Providing collision free ion trajectories
- Reducing ion-molecular reactions
- Reducing background interference
The vacuum systems of most modern LC-MS systems consist of a
differentially pumped system.
A foreline pump establishes a
‘rough’ vacuum.
Instruments using an API interface will have ______ differentially pumped regions within them.
three or more
Mean free path
Average distance a molecule moves between collisions.
Mean free path estimate
L = 0.661/P
L is in cm
P is in Pa
A rotary pump consists of
vanes mounted to a rotor that rotates inside of a cavity.
Foreline pumps are also known as
roughing pumps.
Foreline pumps are employed to
assist the high vacuum pumps directly attached to the spectrometer.
Foreline pumps are ____ sealed rotary vane pumps.
oil
Foreline pump pumping capacity
0.1 Pa (10-3 torr)
Foreline pump at a speed of 1400 rpm capacity
300 L/min
The high vacuum created in the post skimmer regions of the mass spectrometer may be achieved using a
turbomolecular pump.
A turbomolecular pump consists of
rotating foils or blades that are angled to compress exiting molecules.
While spinning at around 60,000 rpm, turbomolecular pump capacity
200-500 L/s
The vapors exiting the turbomolecular pump will normally be entrained directly into the
foreline pump.
An alternative to turbomolecular pumps for maintaining high vacuum in LC-MS systems is the
oil-filled diffusion pump.
Diffusion pumps operate by
boiling a hydrocarbon oil and forcing the dense vapor stream through central jets angled downward.
Diffusion pump boilers usually operate between
280-300oC
Vapors exiting the pump in a diffusion boiler will often have ________ velocities and temperatures around ________.
supersonic (>750 m/s), 100oC
Diffusion pumps have capacities in the ______ order as turbomolecular pumps.
same
The vapor pressure created by the vaporized LC eluate and the level of vacuum attainable differs by approximately
two to three orders of magnitude.
Modern spectrometer systems use differentially pumped ion sources whose effective pumping speeds are around
300 to 700 L/s.
A typical LC eluent at a flow rate of 1 mL/min results in a gas flow between ___________ depending on the molecular masses of the solvents used.
300 and 2100 Pa L/s
Solutions to meet the low flow rates required to maintain vacuum levels:
- LC column can be miniaturized
- Column effluent can be split
- Cryogenic pumps can be used to significantly increase pumping capacity
- Preferentially removing the eluent vapor relative to the analyte species