In this work, we
present a tandem ion mobility spectrometer
(IMS)
utilizing a highly efficient ion manipulator allowing to store, manipulate,
and analyze ions under high electric field strengths and controlled
ion-neutral reactions at ambient conditions. The arrangement of tandem
drift regions and an ion manipulator in a single drift tube allows
a sequence of mobility selection of precursor ions, followed by storage
and analysis, mobility separation, and detection of the resulting
product ions. In this article, we present a journey exploring the
capabilities of the present instrument by a study of eight different
primary alcohols characterized at reduced electric field strengthsE/Nof up to 120 Td with a water vapor
concentration ranging from 40 to 540 ppb. Under these conditions,
protonated alcohol monomers up to a carbon number of nine could be
dissociated, resulting in 18 different fragmented product ions in
total. The fragmentation patterns revealed regularities, which can
be used for assignment to the chemical class and improved classification
of unknown substances. Furthermore, both the time spent in high electrical
field strengths and the reaction time with water vapor can be tuned
precisely, allowing the fragment distribution to be influenced. Thus,
further information regarding the relations of the product ions can
be gathered in a standalone drift tube IMS for the first time.