Identifying key parameters that affect sensitivity of flow tube chemical ionization mass spectrometers

Abstract. Chemical ionization mass spectrometers are widely used for the detection of trace gases, particularly in the field of atmospheric science. Depending on the analytes of interest, chemical ionization instruments are operated under varying reactor conditions, which can make it difficult to compare instrument performance, even for the same reagent ion chemistry. This variability leads to inconsistent sensitivity distributions, particularly for weakly bound or labile analytes. As a result, determining sensitivity – instrument response per unit analyte concentration – is challenging, even when comparing the same compound detected with the same reagent ion across different studies. To address this issue, we employed multiple Vocus AIM reactors (Tofwerk AG) to systematically identify the critical parameters affecting sensitivity in flow tube chemical ionization mass spectrometers. Controlling these parameters for a given reactor geometry can significantly reduce sensitivity variations across instruments and operators. We demonstrate that sensitivity normalized to reagent ion concentration serves as a fundamental metric for interpreting results from different datasets operating under uniform chemical ionization conditions, such as those within regional networks or other monitoring applications. Calibrating the sensitivity of benzene cations to a group of hydrocarbons, and comparing it to the sensitivity of iodide anions to levoglucosan, a molecule known to react near the collision limit, reveals that it is possible to map kinetic constraints on sensitivity from one ion mode polarity to another, as long as the critical parameters are held constant. Additionally, we show that collision–limited sensitivity relative to the reagent ion is nearly constant across different ionization mechanisms for a given reactor geometry and set of conditions. This consistency enables the determination of the upper limit of sensitivity, even for reagent ions where the specific molecules reacting at the collision limit are unknown. As a result, the use of the voltage scanning approach can be extended to a broader range of reagent ion chemistries. This study highlights how collision–limited sensitivity can enhance our understanding of the relationships between different instruments and simplify calibration requirements across various reagent ion chemistries.