Ambient Ionization
Ambient Ionization - Related Videos
06:49
Visualization of Ambient Mass Spectrometry with the Use of Schlieren Photography
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Cited by 4 •
2016
This paper presents a protocol for the visualization of gaseous streams of an ambient ionization source using schlieren photography and mass spectrometry.
03:12
Ionization Energy
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2020
The amount of energy required to remove the most loosely bound electron from a gaseous atom in its ground state is called its first ionization energy (IE1). The first ionization energy for an element, X, is the energy required to form a cation with 1+ charge: The energy required to remove the second most loosely bound electron is called the second ionization energy (IE2). The energy required to remove the third electron is the third ionization energy, and so on. Energy is always required...
06:43
Leaf Spray Mass Spectrometry: A Rapid Ambient Ionization Technique to Directly Assess Metabolites from Plant Tissues
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Cited by 10 •
2018
Leaf spray mass spectrometry is a direct chemical analysis technique that minimizes the sample preparation and eliminates chromatography, allowing for the rapid detection of small molecules from plant tissues.
06:21
Imaging of Biological Tissues by Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry
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Cited by 21 •
2013
Desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI-MS) is an ambient method by which samples, including biological tissues, can be imaged with minimal sample preparation. By rastering the sample below the ionization probe, this spray-based technique provides sufficient spatial resolution to discern molecular features of interest within tissue sections.
15:00
Applications of the Single-probe: Mass Spectrometry Imaging and Single Cell Analysis under Ambient Conditions
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Cited by 44 •
2016
Here, we present protocols to perform both ambient mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) of tissues and in-situ live single cell MS (SCMS) analysis using the single-probe, which is a miniaturized multifunctional device for MS analysis.
FAQs
These components help release molecules from a biological sample and transfer them into the gas phase as ions suitable for mass spectrometric detection. Charged droplets can promote desorption and ionization, while solvents or heated surfaces support the release of analytes from tissues, cells, biofluids, or other materials. Their roles vary among ambient ionization methods.
Desorption electrospray ionization and paper spray represent different implementations of the same general analytical approach. Desorption electrospray ionization uses charged droplets directed toward a sample, whereas paper spray incorporates a paper substrate and solvent-based sampling format. This distinction affects how samples are presented to the instrument and broadens the materials that can be examined with limited preparation.
Reducing sample preparation shortens the time between collecting a biological specimen and obtaining molecular information. It also limits handling steps before analysis, which is valuable when researchers need rapid measurements from tissues, cells, or biofluids. This streamlined format supports fast biological investigations and makes ambient methods useful when conventional preparation would delay analysis.
The approach can be applied to tissues, cells, biofluids, and other biological materials while measuring diverse molecular classes. Supported targets include metabolites, lipids, peptides, drugs, and other biomolecules. This range allows one analytical strategy to address cellular chemistry, tissue composition, pharmacological compounds, and biological samples with different physical forms.
A typical workflow places the tissue, cells, biofluid, or other material in an accessible position near the mass spectrometer, applies the relevant solvent, charged droplets, or heated-surface approach, and transfers released ions into the instrument for measurement. Because extensive preparation is reduced, the workflow emphasizes direct sampling and rapid acquisition of molecular information.
When measurements are collected directly from different positions on a tissue section, the resulting mass spectrometric data can be associated with spatial locations. Researchers can then examine where metabolites, lipids, peptides, drugs, or other biomolecules occur across the tissue. This creates chemical maps that connect molecular composition with tissue position rather than reporting only an averaged sample measurement.
Ambient ionization is useful when rapid molecular analysis is needed in diagnostics, pharmacology, microbiology, or real-time biological research. Its compatibility with mass spectrometric imaging also supports studies that require spatial chemical information. These capabilities make it relevant for examining biological states, tracking chemical distributions, and investigating drugs or biomolecules in their sample context.