TIME OF FLIGHT MASS SPECTROMETRY: REVIEW

Time-of-flight instruments form a well-established group of mass spectrometers, with its popularity still increasing. Methods of gating ion populations and the special requirements in the detection and digitization of the signals in the TOF-MS are of special importance. Time of flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS) has been an attractive choice of instrument for many years due to its potentially unlimited m/z range, high-speed acquisition, accurate mass measurement capability and sensitivity. In which an ion's mass-to-charge ratio is determined via a time measurement. Ions are accelerated by an electric field of known strength.