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Uniform molecular analysis using femtosecond laser mass spectrometry
Author(s) -
Fang X.,
Ledingham K. W. D.,
Graham P.,
Smith D. J.,
McCanny T.,
Singhal R. P.,
Langley A. J.,
Taday P. F.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
rapid communications in mass spectrometry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.528
H-Index - 136
eISSN - 1097-0231
pISSN - 0951-4198
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0231(19990730)13:14<1390::aid-rcm650>3.0.co;2-t
Subject(s) - chemistry , mass spectrometry , ionization , femtosecond , laser , atmospheric pressure laser ionization , molecule , atomic physics , vapours , analytical chemistry (journal) , photoionization , optics , ion , chromatography , physics , organic chemistry , neuroscience , biology
The potential of femtosecond laser time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (FLMS) for uniform quantitative analysis of molecules has been investigated. Various samples of molecular gases and vapours have been studied, using ultra‐fast (∼50 fs) laser pulses with very high intensity (up to 1.6 × 10 16 Wcm −2 ) for non‐resonant multiphoton ionisation/tunnel ionisation. Some of these molecules have high ionisation potentials, requiring up to ten photons for non‐resonant ionisation. The relative sensitivity factors (RSF) have been determined as a function of the laser intensity and it has been demonstrated that for molecules with very different masses and ionisation potentials, uniform ionisation has been achieved at the highest laser intensities. Quantitative laser mass spectrometry of molecules is therefore a distinct possibility. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.