Developments in tandem ion mobility mass spectrometry

Abstract

Ion Mobility (IM) coupled to mass spectrometry (MS) is a useful tool for separating species of interest out of small quantities of heterogenous mixtures via a combination of m/z and molecular shape. While tandem MS instruments are common, instruments which employ tandem IM are less so with the first commercial IM–MS instrument capable of multiple IM selection rounds being released in 2019. Here we explore the history of tandem IM instruments, recent developments, the applications to biological systems and expected future directions.