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A new hand-held mass spectrometer, the smallest complete device developed thus far, has been developed by Purdue University researchers. Liang Gao, Andy Sugiarto, Jason D. Harper, R. Graham Cooks and Zheng Ouyang detail the specs of the new device and the potential for its use in an article recently published in Analytical Chemistry, on the American Chemical Society's website.

In the article, the researchers describe the long-sought after portable mass spectrometer, named the Mini 10. Traditional mass spectrometers, which identify unknown chemical compounds tend to be large, delicate laboratory instruments. The Mini 10 is both tough in composition and very portable, weighing around 22 pounds - 30 times less than a conventional mass spectrometer - and using about as much battery power as a laptop computer. The Mini 10 can operate in the external and internal ionization modes, the external through the use of a discontinuous atmospheric pressure interface.

Miniaturization of mass spectrometers becomes important as the applicability of the device can be combined with rapid in situ analysis. Such devices can be utilized to serve in areas including public safety, environmental protection, and industrial process monitoring. The shoebox-sized mass spectrometer is capable of detecting minute amounts of chemical compounds in the environment. Importantly, some of the chemical compounds the device can analyze are the peroxides believed involved in concerns about the safety of passenger jets early in August of this year, as well as other toxic and dangerous compounds.

"This instrument has evolved from a decade-long experimental and simulation program in mass spectrometer miniaturization," according to the Analytical Chemistry report. The Mini 10 can perform chemical analysis while being carried and detects traces of chemical compounds quickly and accurately. "These characteristics are especially applicable in public safety, environmental protection and industrial process monitoring," the report adds. The whole electronics system is controlled by a remote computer with interface software written in Labview 8.2. Different power supplies are available for different environmental conditions, including AC/DC adaptors and battery packs.

Adapted in part from a press release by the ACS.
ACS article available at: http://pubs.acs.org