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Over the past two decades mass spectrometry has advanced to the point where it has become one of the most broadly applicable tools in analytical chemistry. The rapid pace of this evolution has been spurred by periodic advances in mass spectrometer hardware, computer interfacing, new extended mass spectrometric methods (eg, tandem mass spectrometry), interfaces with separation methods, and an increasing per-formance/cost ratio.

The ion formation process is the starting point for mass spectrometric analyses and dictates the scope and utility of the method. Ionization methods based upon ion “desorption”, the direct formation or emission of ions from solid or liquid surfaces, have allowed increasing application to nonvolatile and thermally labilecompounds. These eliminate the need for neutral molecule volatilization prior to ionization and generally minimize thermal degradation of the molecular species …