Isotope separation using high–field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry

A new apparatus for gas-phase separation of stable elemental isotopes at atmospheric pressure is described. A gaseous mixture of chloride isotopes was generated using electrospray ionization and introduced into the analyzer region of a high-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometer (FAIMS). The ion current exiting the FAIMS was sampled into a quadrupole mass spectrometer for isotope identification.