TIME-OF-FLIGHT MASS-SPECTROMETRY - STATE-OF-THE-ART IN CHEMICAL-ANALYSIS AND MOLECULAR SCIENCE

Time-off-fight instruments form a well-established group of mass spect rometers, with its popularity still increasing. This article gives a s urvey of the technical basics and important instrumental developments in this field. Special notice is taken of factors that limit the mass resolution and to techniques to overcome them. The possibilities to pe rform tandem MS experiments in flight-time mass analyzers and their co mbination with ion-trapping devices are discussed. Finally, some examp les of the modem applications of these instruments in molecular scienc e and instrumental analysis are reviewed. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.