Electrospray Ionisation

ESI applies a high voltage at the outlet of the capillary, and the high electric
field generated atomizes the liquid flowing out of the capillary into tiny charged
droplets. As the solvent evaporates, the charge intensity on the surface of the
droplet gradually increases, and finally the droplet splits into one or a plurality
of charged ions, allowing the analyte to enter the gas phase in the form of a
single charge or multiple charges and become a gas phase ion.

Principle: ESI involves the formation of electrically charged droplets from a

liquid sample. These droplets are then desolvated, resulting in the formation of
gas-phase ions.

Sample Preparation: The sample to be analyzed is dissolved in a volatile solvent,

typically a mixture of water and organic solvents. The solution is loaded into a
syringe or directly infused into the ESI source.

Ionization Process: In ESI, a high voltage is applied to a capillary containing the

sample solution. As the voltage increases, the liquid at the tip of the capillary
forms a Taylor cone, which emits a fine spray of charged droplets.

Desolvation: As the charged droplets travel through the ESI interface, solvent
molecules evaporate, leaving behind gas-phase ions. The desolvation process can
occur through heating or by passing the droplets through a region of reduced
pressure.

Ion Detection: The generated ions are then introduced into the mass spectrometer,
where they are separated based on their mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) using electric
and/or magnetic fields. The separated ions are detected, and their abundance is
recorded.

Applications: ESI is used in various fields, including proteomics, metabolomics,

pharmaceutical analysis, and environmental analysis. It enables the identification
and characterization of biomolecules like proteins, peptides, nucleic acids, and
small organic compounds.

Advantages: ESI is compatible with a wide range of sample types, including polar
and nonpolar compounds. It allows the analysis of large biomolecules, such as
proteins and nucleic acids, which may be difficult to analyze using other
ionization techniques.

Electron Impact

Electron impact is a technique used for ionizing samples in mass spectrometry. It

involves introducing a vaporized sample at low pressures and firing high-energy
electrons towards it. These electrons collide with the sample molecules, causing
ionization by removing electrons from them. The resulting ions are then separated
and detected based on their mass-to-charge ratio.

Electron impact is a relatively harsh ionization technique and can cause

fragmentation of the sample molecules. This fragmentation can either be helpful in
identifying the sample's structure or detrimental to the analysis, depending on the
application. It is often used for the analysis of volatile and semi-volatile
organic compounds.