Laboratory Journal – Business Web for Users in Science and Industry

Quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometers, commonly called "ion traps", have a long, rich history as extremely sensitive analytical instruments that identify compounds and their molecular structure based on their molecular weight. The capability to accumulate and manipulate ions in time and subsequently perform selective mass ejection to an external electron multiplier gives ion traps unique abilities and attributes. Perhaps most notably, ion traps can carry out multiple stages of ion dissociation and ion/molecule reactions with very high efficiency, enabling routine detection and identification of low level analytes.