Do some particles get ionised to 2+ or higher in a mass spectrometer or do they only get ionised to 1+? In a mass spectrometer the sample is vapourised, then ionised, then accelerated.
My textbook says that the high energy electrons from the electron gun knock electrons off the sample molecules and hence ionise the particles by 1+.
But do some particles get 2 or more electrons knocked out or is it always just one ?
I suppose once it has been ionised by 1+ it gets accelerated through the tube so it won't hang around for long but I would think that there is still a small window of time for further ionisations.
In electron impact, you would see mostly +1 charged ions. Electron impact is a &quot;harsh&quot; way of ionization. However, +1 charge is not a universal rule in MS. The state of ionization depends on the ionization source. Later in your courses you might encounter electrospray ionization. There you might have +14 charges, etc.