Systems, methods, and structures for compound-specific coding mass spectrometry
Aspects of the present disclosure describe systems, methods, and structures for compound-specific coding mass spectrometry wherein compound-specific masks/codes are positioned between an ion source and detector of a mass spectrometer.
1. A chemical-compound-specific coded mass spectrometer comprising:
an ion source that produces ion fragments from the chemical compound;
a mass analyzer that separates the produced ion fragments according to their mass; and
a detector structure that produces signals in response to detecting the separated ion fragments;
CHARACTERIZED BY:
a compound-specific mask interposed between the ion source and the detector.
2. The chemical-compound-specific mass spectrometer of claim 1 FURTHER CHARACTERIZED BY:
the produced ion fragments are substantially all directed to a single detector element of the detector structure through the effect of the compound-specific mask.
3. The chemical-compound-specific mass spectrometer of claim 2 FURTHER CHARACTERIZED BY:
the single detector element produces a signal proportional to the number of fragments exhibiting all mass-to-charge ratios characteristic of the chemical compound.
4. The chemical-compound-specific mass spectrometer of claim 3 FURTHER CHARACTERIZED BY:
the compound-specific mask includes a plurality of slit/apertures, each individual slit/aperture configured to direct a particular generated ion fragment to the single detector.
5. The chemical-compound-specific mass spectrometer of claim 3 wherein the detector element is positioned at a detector plane and the compound-specific mask is positioned at an aperture plane, said mass spectrometer FURTHER CHARACTERIZED BY:
the compound-specific mask includes a plurality of slit/apertures, each individual slit/aperture configured to generate a shifted copy of the compounds spectrum onto the detector plane, wherein the shifting results in a particular, generated ion fragment for each shifted copy being directed to the single detector.
6. The chemical-compound-specific mass spectrometer of claim 1 FURTHER CHARACTERIZED BY:
the compound-specific mask is a two-dimensional coded mask having n rows of apertures; and
the detector structure is a 1×n array of individual detectors, each of the individual detectors corresponding to a respective one of the mask rows.
7. The chemical-compound-specific mass spectrometer of claim 6 FURTHER CHARACTERIZED BY:
the two-dimensional compound specific mask includes plurality of slit/apertures arranged in a first row, each individual slit/aperture in the first row configured to direct a particular generated ion fragment to the individual detector corresponding to that first row; and
the two-dimensional compound specific mask includes a plurality of slit/apertures arranged in a second row, wherein the arrangement of slit/apertures in the second row is the complement to the arrangement of slit/apertures in the first row.
8. The chemical-compound-specific mass spectrometer of claim 7 FURTHER CHARACTERIZED BY:
the two-dimensional compound specific mask includes plurality of slit/apertures arranged in a third row, each individual slit/aperture in the third row configured to direct a particular generated ion fragment to the individual detector corresponding to that third row wherein the particular generated ion fragment directed by the third row slit/aperture is an ion fragment generated from a cofounder of the chemical compound; and
the two-dimensional compound specific mask includes a plurality of slit/apertures arranged in a fourth row, wherein the arrangement of slit/apertures in the fourth row is the complement to the arrangement of slit/apertures in the third row.
9. The chemical-compound-specific mass spectrometer of claim 8 FURTHER CHARACTERIZED BY:
the individual detector element corresponding to the first row produces a first signal (IB) and the individual detector element corresponding to the second row produces a second signal (OOB) and the chemical compound is discriminated by comparing IB+OOB and OOB/IB.
10. A chemical-compound-specific mass spectroscopic method comprising:
generating compound-identifying ion fragments from the chemical compound;
separating the compound-identifying ion fragments according to their mass; and
directing the compound-identifying ion fragments to a single detector element of a multi-element detector through the effect of a compound-specific mask positioned between an ion source that generates the compound-identifying ion fragments and the detector.