Articles | Volume 15, issue 24
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-7353-2022
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-7353-2022
Research article
 | 
22 Dec 2022
Research article |  | 22 Dec 2022

Chemical ionization mass spectrometry utilizing ammonium ions (NH4+ CIMS) for measurements of organic compounds in the atmosphere

Lu Xu, Matthew M. Coggon, Chelsea E. Stockwell, Jessica B. Gilman, Michael A. Robinson, Martin Breitenlechner, Aaron Lamplugh, John D. Crounse, Paul O. Wennberg, J. Andrew Neuman, Gordon A. Novak, Patrick R. Veres, Steven S. Brown, and Carsten Warneke

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Cited articles

Adams, N. G., Babcock, L. M., Mostefaoui, T. M., and Kerns, M. S.: Selected ion flow tube study of NH4+ association and of product switching reactions with a series of organic molecules, Int. J. Mass Spectrom., 223–224, 459–471, https://doi.org/10.1016/S1387-3806(02)00932-6, 2003. a, b
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Berndt, T., Scholz, W., Mentler, B., Fischer, L., Herrmann, H., Kulmala, M., and Hansel, A.: Accretion Product Formation from Self- and Cross-Reactions of RO2 Radicals in the Atmosphere, Angew. Chem. Int. Edit., 57, 3820–3824, https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201710989, 2018. a, b, c
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Short summary
We describe the development and operation of a chemical ionization mass spectrometer using an ammonium–water cluster (NH4+·H2O) as a reagent ion. NH4+·H2O is a highly versatile reagent ion for measurements of a wide range of oxygenated organic compounds. The major product ion is the cluster with NH4+ produced via ligand-switching reactions. The instrumental sensitivities of analytes depend on the binding energy of the analyte–NH4+ cluster; sensitivities can be estimated using voltage scanning.
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