In searching of optimum electrospray ionization using both spray image and electric current measurement.

Electrospray image and spray electric current measurement were used to experimentally characterize the optimum operating condition of the electrospray ionization process under different operating conditions, including electrospray flow rate (Q), solution electric conductivity (k) and the organic solvent content in the sample solution (R o). It was first observed that a special cone-jet mode electrospray with extremely high stability could be obtained when the electrospray voltage was operated in a specific range (the optimum voltage range). In this mode, the spray current remains independent of spray voltage and the angle of electrospray (the optimum spray angle) was much larger than the ones in other modes of electrospray. The experimental results also showed that the optimum voltage range was dependent on multiple factors. The average value of the optimum voltage range (the optimum voltage) increased slightly as Q was increased and decreased significantly as R o was increased. In addition, the optimum voltage would increase initially with the increase of k and become essentially independent of k at a sufficiently high solution electric conductivity. In contrast to a rather complicated parametric dependence of the optimum voltage range, the optimum spray angle was found to only depend on Q. It would increase initially as the increase of Q and remain to be constant when Q was higher than a specific value. The experimental results in this study allow one to maintain an optimum electrospray ionization under different operating conditions as required by the actual method of mass spectrometry analysis. [Display omitted] • A high performance ESI image and spray electric current measurement system was developed. • The optimum ESI voltage was explored systemically under different spray operating conditions. • It was proved that the maximum spray angle measured from the ESI image can be used to positively identify the cone-jet electrospray mode. • The factors affacting the optimum voltage and the spray angle of cone-jet mode electrospray were systemically explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]