Atomic-molecular science using the drift tube method and its periphery (Part 4). Structural study on cluster ions based on ion mobility mass spectrometry

This paper introduces the examples of study on the structure of cluster ions, which are small assemblies of atoms or molecules, using ion mobility mass spectrometry. The physical and chemical properties of cluster ions change dramatically when the number of constituent particles (size) changes even by one. This change in the properties due to the size can generally be studied by separating the cluster ions using mass spectrometry. However, there is a possibility that a single cluster ion may contain multiple structural isomers, and only the size information can be obtained by detecting only the size. Ion mobility analysis is a technique for separating the isomers of gas phase ions. By applying this method to the structural studies of cluster ions, a new core of structural isomer selection can be added to the conventional research that detects only the size. (A.O.)