PNNL

Abstract

The standard heated capillary inlet of an electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) interface was compared with shorter versions of the inlet to determine the effects on transmission and ionization efficiencies for low-flow electrosprays. The primary finding of the study was a large bias towards higher mobility species in the electrospray current losses to the inside walls of the inlet. The transmission efficiency increased with decreasing capillary length due to reduced losses along the capillary. A decrease in transmission efficiency was also confirmed for electrosprays of higher conductivity solvents. A direct correlation between mass spectrometry sensitivity and the transmitted electrospray current was not observed as some analytes showed little to no increase in sensitivity while others showed as high as a 15 – fold increase. The variation was shown to at least be partially dependent on the analytes’ mobilities. Higher mobility analytes demonstrated a larger increase in sensitivity when shorter inlets were used. The results indicate that considerable biases against higher mobility species can be produced by the use of long capillary inlets in the ESI-MS interface and strategies are provided to minimize the bias against higher mobility species for efficient ion transmission through the heated capillary interface.