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Functional Description
Functional Description
Introduction
The Saturn
2000 GC/MS has four principal components:
•
Gas chromatograph (GC)
•
Mass spectrometer (MS)
•
Data system (DS)
•
AutoSampler (optional)
The following figure is a functional block diagram of the Saturn GC/MS. A short,
line-of-sight transfer line connects the GC and mass spectrometer. The
AutoSampler sits on top of the GC.
A fused silica capillary column in the GC passes through the transfer line directly
into the ion trap assembly (see
Principal Components of the Saturn GC/MS
on
page 2). Samples are injected either manually or via the AutoSampler onto the
capillary column through the GC injection port.
The gas chromatograph then separates the sample molecules. Effluent from the
GC passes through the transfer line and into the ion trap. The sample molecules
next undergo electron or chemical ionization before being analyzed according to
their mass-to-charge ratios.
The ions are detected by an electron multiplier, which produces a signal
proportional to the number of ions detected. The electron multiplier passes the
ion current signal to the system electronics, which in turn amplify the signal,
digitize the result, and pass it on to the data system for further processing and
display. Refer to the following Functional Block Diagram.
