ABSTRACT
The word feasible, as used in the title of this chapter, is meant to suggest an underdeveloped application in IMS rather than an application that is based on speculative science or technology. In each instance described in the following text, measurements by mobility spectrometers were demonstrated, without any standing requirements by any government agency, organization, or industry. In a few instances, substantial development of a concept or method will be needed because, even though the measurements were proven and the application found to be feasible, a complete methodology is missing. In one or two other instances a measurement has been reported in nearly complete form, but either there are no obvious applications or existing methods are more than adequate. In all cases, the feasible applications illustrate that mobility can be seen as a general measurement concept; if gasphase ions with lifetimes greater than 10 msec can be made from a sample, those ions can be characterized in a mobility spectrometer. Analytical information may be gleaned from the mobility spectrum. In moving a method from the category of feasible to proven or accepted, essential questions will need to be answered on the usefulness of the information, availability of instruments, validation of the measurement, and finally, whether it provides high value for cost. In the applications listed in this chapter, one or more of these questions are unanswered or answered unsatisfactorily.
