Molecular recognition through the formation of noncovalent complexes will be utilized to greatly enhance the separation and detection capabilities of ion mobility spectrometry (IMS). In essence, noncovalent adducts will act as the """"""""stationary phase"""""""" used in other separation techniques. There are many potential applications of this concept, which will further augment the utility of IMS, including greater separation of complicated mixtures, enhanced chemical detections, and chiral separations. Experiments will be conducted to test the hypothesis that mobilities of ions with selected functional groups can be selectively shifted by the addition of noncovalent adducts.
