Abstract

Young Researchers' Sessions (Int'l)

Day 1, June 10（Mon.）　15:00-15:15　Room A (Convention Hall 300)

Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is a technique widely utilized for imaging of various molecules including drugs in tissue sections and cells. We have developed an ion source that can reduce the laser focus size to less than a few micrometers at atmospheric pressure using laser ablation electrospray ionization with gas transportation (LAESI-GT) and performed MSI at a pixel size of 50 µm. Laser and electrospray were separated by gas transportation with a heating tube to make the distance shorter between the sample and the focusing lens. Preparation of the sample becomes easier because matrix application, sample thinning, and voltage application to the sample are not required. Caffeine attached to an ablation cell, and ablated by UV laser, transported by a nitrogen gas, and heated through the tube. The amount of heat during passage through the tube was calculated from the measured temperature. The signal intensity increased at an accelerated rate as the amount of heat. It seems that the rate of vaporization of the particles becomes higher by increasing the amount of heat. These results suggest the possibility of detecting samples other than caffeine at atmospheric pressure by application of sufficient amount of heat to maintain in the gaseous state.

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