Sd. Hanton et al., Investigations of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization sample preparation by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry, J AM SOC M, 10(2), 1999, pp. 104-111
Citations number
37
Categorie Soggetti
Spectroscopy /Instrumentation/Analytical Sciences
Journal title
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MASS SPECTROMETRY
Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) and time-of-flight seco
ndary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) analyses are compared to gain insigh
t into some of the details of sample preparation for MALDI analysis of synt
hetic polymers. ToF-SIMS imaging of MALDI samples shows segregation of the
cationization agent from the matrix crystals. The amount of observed segreg
ation can be controlled by the sample preparation technique. Electrospray s
ample deposition minimizes segregation. Comparing ToF-SIMS and MALDI mass s
pectra from the same samples confirms that ToF-SIMS is significantly more s
urface sensitive than MALDI. This comparison shows that segregation of the
oligomers of a polymer sample can occur during MALDI sample preparation. Ou
r data indicate that MALDI is not as sensitive to those species dominating
the sample surface as to species better incorporated into the matrix crysta
ls. Finally, we show that matrix-enhanced SIMS can be an effective tool to
analyze synthetic polymers, although the sample preparation conditions may
be different than those optimized for MALDI. (J Am Soc Mass Spectrom 1999,
10, 104-111) (C) 1999 American Society for Mass Spectrometry.