The pendulum effect, which is present in the HCD system, allows an electron to bounce back and forth between the emitter inner surface . The pendulum effect is critical for discharging insulating gaseous species at lower voltages and maintaining stable HCD conditions. Stepwise ionization, the presence of sputtered particles, and the pendulum effect all contribute to the increased ionization in the HCD . The HCD system's ability to emit spectral lines and ionize has sparked interest in its use as a spectral emitter in atomic absorption/emission spectroscopy (AAS/AES) and as an ion source in MS . however, when the ion source pressure was held at 28 Torr, a new peak for ammoniated TATP,