Organophosphorus selective ion mobility spectrometer

This abstract discloses an ion mobility spectrometer for analysis of a gaseous sample wherein only nitrogen and phosphorus containing molecules of the sample are ionized. The spectrometer is of the type having an ion source for ionizing the sample gas and a shutter for gating ions into a drift region, wherein an electric field gradient exists. The ion source includes a bead which comprises a thermally stable material, such as a ceramic or glass, having an alkali metal compound on its surface. The bead is immersed in a gaseous mixture of hydrogen and air, and is heated to a temperature of 200-1000 C. The bead selectively ionizes phosphorus and nitrogen containing molecules of the sample upon contact with the bead.