ELECTROSPRAY METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR
TRACE ANAYLYSIS

 

Introduction:  Electrospray equipment and techniques are provided for receiving a liquid solution containing test molecules of interest and solvent and forming ionized droplets of interest for analysis by a mass spectrometer. The flow path within the electrically charged spray needle 16 may be filled with a packing material 20 for adsorbing selected chemicals in the liquid solution before being discharged from the spray needle into a vaporizing chamber 33. The spray needle preferably comprises a fused silica capillary tubing, and the discharge end 25 of the capillary tubing is spaced closely adjacent an exit orifice 31 of the vaporizer probe 12. Inert gas such as pure nitrogen is input to the probe. The techniques of the present invention are particularly well suited for mass spectrometer analysis of low flow rate test material.

 

 

NON-CONFIDENTIAL TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION

The preceding is intended to be a non-confidential summary of a novel technology created at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

UTHSCH Ref. No. 1995-0004

Inventors: Dr. Richard Caprioli

Patent Status: United States Issued Patent No. 5,572,023

License Available: world-wide; exclusive or non-exclusive

 

To obtain further information about this technology, please contact:
Office of Technology Management, 7000 Fannin, Suite 720, Houston, TX 77030
Phone: (713) 500-3369  Fax: (713) 500-0331
Email: uthsch-otm@uth.tmc.edu