Combining transmission geometry laser ablation and a noncontact continuous flow surface sampling probe/electrospray emitter for mass spectrometry based chemical imaging.

This paper describes the coupling of ambient pressure transmission geometry laser ablation with a liquid-phase sample collection into a continuous flow surface sampling probe/electrospray emitter for mass spectrometry based chemical imaging. The flow probe/emitter device was placed in close proximity to the surface to collect the sample plume produced by laser ablation. The sample collected was immediately aspirated into the probe and onto the electrospray emitter, ionized and detected with the mass spectrometer. Freehand drawn ink lines and letters and an inked fingerprint on microscope slides were analyzed. The circular laser ablation area was about 210 µm in diameter and under the conditions used in these experiments the spatial resolution, as determined by the size of the surface features distinguished in the chemical images, was about 100 µm.