This invention was developed to improve ion movement at atmospheric pressure to enhance ion signal and reduce ion loss for mass spectrometry (MS) and ion mobility spectrometry (IMS). This invention is demonstrated with the atmospheric flow tube (AFT) and involves ion manipulation (e.g., extraction, focusing, and confinement) at atmospheric pressure. There are two components that have been observed to increase ion signal and reduce ion loss. The first is associated with combining the AFT with IMS, in which adjusting electric field gradients between the AFT and IMS improves ion extraction or focuses ions at atmospheric pressure. The second is by modifying the AFT to place a wire down the center of the length of the tube and applying either an AC or a DC voltage to this wire. Placing a square wave voltage on the wire increases ion throughput down the AFT to the detector compared to when the wire is at the same DC potential as the tube. The ability to manipulate ions is more pronounced at slower flows down the tube. Detailed description, figures, and data are provided in the attachment (Figures 1-7).