A spatially confined ionization probe that samples a microscopic volume, followed by mass analysis of the ejected ions, constitutes microprobe mass spectrometry. The probe may be a focused laser (laser microprobe mass spectrometry), a focused primary-ion beam (ion microprobe mass spectrometry), or a related localized source; the spectrum is registered to a selected spot on the specimen [1]. Ion microprobe analysis of particle surfaces demonstrates that localized sputtering and mass analysis preserve spatially confined elemental information [2]. Conceptual boundaries exclude bulk mass spectrometry of homogenized samples and optical or electron microprobes that do not record mass-to-charge ratios. Essential features are a probe whose interaction volume is small relative to the specimen, a viewing or scanning system that defines the coordinates, and a mass analyzer synchronized to the probe [3]. Laser microprobe implementations (LAMMA) are the photon-probe member of this class and share the spatial-sampling definition while differing in the ionization physics from ion-beam microprobes [4].
- microprobe mass spectrometry
- localized ionization
- ion microprobe
- spatial sampling
References
- Luc VAN Vaeck; Katrien Poels; Sonja DE Nollin; Adam Hachimi; Renaat Gijbels; Laser microprobe mass spectrometry: principle and applications in biology and medicine. Cell Biol. Int. 1997, 21, 635-648, 10.1006/cbir.1997.0198.
- R W Linton; P Williams; C A Evans; D F Natusch; Determination of the surface predominance of toxic elements in airborne particles by ion microprobe mass spectrometry and Auger electron spectrometry. Anal. Chem. 1977, 49, 1514-1521, 10.1021/ac50019a015.
- Jan Claereboudt; Magda Claeys; Herman Geise; Renaat Gijbels; Akos Vertes; Laser microprobe mass spectrometry of quaternary phosphonium salts: Direct versus matrix-assisted laser desorption. J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom. 1993, 4, 798-812, 10.1016/1044-0305(93)80038-z.
- J. Claereboudt; B. de Spiegeleer; E.A. de Bruijn; R. Gijbels; M. Claeys; Structural characterization of cisplatin analogues by fast atom bombardment (FAB) and laser microprobe mass spectrometry (LAMMA). J. Pharm. Biomed. Anal. 1989, 7, 1599-1610, 10.1016/0731-7085(89)80171-2.