Thermal ionization
From Mass Spectrometry Wiki
In thermal ionization (also called surface ionization), material is loaded onto a w:filament which is then heated to cause some of the material to be ionized as it boils off the hot filament.
The likelihood of ionisation is a function of the filament temperature, the w:work function of the filament material and the ionization energy of the atom or molecule.
This is summarised in the w:Saha-Langmuir equation:
Failed to parse (Missing texvc executable; please see math/README to configure.): \frac{Y_1}{Y_0} = \frac{g_1}{g_0} \exp \Bigg(\frac{\phi-IP}{kT}\Bigg)
Failed to parse (Missing texvc executable; please see math/README to configure.): \frac{Y_1}{Y_0}
= ion to neutral ratio
Failed to parse (Missing texvc executable; please see math/README to configure.): \frac{g_1}{g_0}
= statistical weights of ion and neutral states
Failed to parse (Missing texvc executable; please see math/README to configure.): \phi
= Surface Work Function
IP = element w:ionization potential
T = surface temperature
One application of thermal ionization is thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS). The ions coming of the filament are directed into a mass spectrometer to analyze the elements or isotopes present in the sample.
 | The Thermal ionization page is a stub that is waiting for content. Equivalent in Wikipedia: Thermal ionization and MS Terms: Thermal ionization. |
