Chromatography Forum

Hi guys, what is the purpose of the small metal piece in the ion gauge tube in the 5972 MSD. Dose effect the performance of the MSD if it has been removed???

As long as the gauge still seals correctly in its gasket you should have no problem. The gauge itself may not be functional, but it is not required to operater the MS.

The ion gauge gives you a rough approximation of your vacuum level, it ionizes a small amount of material and does some computation using a voltage measurement of the ion cloud (could be off on that). It is helpful for diagnosing leaks and monitoring vacuum performance, but it is not essential--unless it physically breaks and is leaking as the person above says.