Systems for identifying the composition of aerosol particles, particularly that of non-biological aerosol particles or biological aerosol particles including surface-bound water. A continuous timing laser triggers an IR ionization laser to fire when each particle enters the beam of the continuous trigger laser and determine optical properties of the aerosol particles in association with one or more laser scattering devices and generate optical data. The continuous laser beam and the pulse ionization laser beam are disposed as overlapping beams. Ionized fragments produced when each particle is struck by the ionization laser are analyzed using a TOFMS detector. A data analysis system is configured to compile the optical data with unique mass spectral data associated with each particle using data fusion and compare the compiled optical data with a training data set comprising of a knowledge base of known aerosol particles to predict composition.

Presented is a device for the preparation of samples for ionization by laser desorption, especially MALDI, that comprises a sample support assembly with a surface which has an array of sites for holding substances, and an outer contour surrounding the sample site array, and a flat cover which can be placed flush on or over the surrounding outer contour such that a shielded gas compartment is formed between the cover and the surface, said cover having an array of apertures arranged such that each aperture comes to rest over a corresponding sample site. A gas transport system is also provided on the assembly and cover, which serves to introduce a protective gas into the shielded gas compartment between cover and surface so that a protective gas atmosphere is generated in the gas compartment to protect the substances on the sample sites against atmospheric influences. An associated method is also described.

To provide a sample plate for mass spectrometric analysis, which requires no use of a matric in combination, of which the ionization-assisting effect will hardly decrease with the lapse of time, of which in-plane dispersion of the ionization-assisting effect is small, with which a favorable efficiency of formation of cationized sample molecules is achieved without using a cationizing agent in combination, and which can easily be produced, a mass spectrometric analysis method and a mass spectrometric analysis device using it.

A sample plate for mass spectrometric analysis, which comprises a substrate 12 and a metal thin film 14 formed on the substrate 12, wherein the metal thin film contains Ag, Al or Cu as the main component and further contains a specific additive element M.sub.Ag, M.sub.Al or M.sub.Cu depending on the element as the main component, in a ratio (M.sub.Ag/Ag) of the total number of atoms of the additive element M.sub.Ag to the number of atoms of Ag of from 0.001 to 0.5, a ratio (M.sub.Al/Al) of the total number of atoms of the additive element M.sub.Al to the number of atoms of Al of from 0.001 to 0.5, or a ratio (M.sub.Cu/Cu) of the total number of atoms of the additive element M.sub.Cu to the number of atoms of Cu of from 0.001 to 0.5.

A gas sensor includes a base, an insulating layer, two sensing electrodes, a heating layer, a gas-sensing material, and an exciting light source. A thru-hole is formed on the base, the insulating layer is disposed on the base to cover the thru-hole, and a portion of the insulating layer corresponding to the thru-hole is defined as an element area. Each sensing electrode disposed on the insulating layer has a sensing segment disposed on the element area and a sensing pad disposed outside the element area. The heating layer disposed on the insulating layer has a heating segment disposed on the element area and two heating pads disposed outside the element area. The gas-sensing material is disposed on the element area and covers the sensing segments and the heating segment. The exciting light source is arranged in the thru-hole and is configured to emit light toward the gas-sensing material.

A method and apparatus for detecting mercury in air includes passing a substantial quantity of air through a concentrator column containing gold film whereby a gold-mercury amalgam is formed, purging the concentrator column with nitrogen gas for a predefined period of time to remove oxygen and other organics from the concentrator column, quickly heating the concentrator column to a substantial temperature to decompose the gold-mercury amalgam forming mercury gas, and injecting the mercury gas into a photoionization detector system. The apparatus includes a quartz housing having a quartz body defining an internal volume, a gas inlet, a gas outlet, and a heater end, and a concentrator element sealingly disposed within the quartz housing, the concentrator element having a first element portion and a second element portion, a film of gold deposited on at least a first element portion disposed in the quartz body.

The present disclosure is directed to the ability to use dopant-assisted photoionization to detect substances of interest. Various dopants can be used through the disclosed methods and processes to detect substances such as, for example, explosives, narcotics, illicit substances and the like.

The invention relates to method and apparatus for production of gaseous ions from components of a condensed phase sample and analysis thereof, wherein one or more liquid jet(s) is/are directed to the surface of the sample to be investigated, where the impact of the liquid jet on the sample surface produces droplets carrying sample particles which are turned into gaseous ions via the evaporation of liquid or, if desired, by a subsequent ionization after the evaporation and the obtained sample particles are analyzed by a known method.

An object of the present invention is to provide an analysis method in which analysis of an analysis object in a solid sample can be simply performed. An analysis method according to the present invention includes: creating a regression equation based on a value of a signal intensity obtained by performing any one of predetermined operation 1, 2, 3, or 4 and an amount of an analysis object that is removed by laser light irradiation in a standard sample film; and using the regression equation to calculate an amount of the analysis object that is removed by laser light irradiation in a solid analysis sample including the analysis object.

An ion mobility spectrometry method is described comprising: providing a sample; generating molecular ions from the sample; separating the molecular ions according to their mobility characteristics; fragmenting at least some of the separated molecular ions to form sub-molecular fragment ions in a fragmentation zone; separating at least some of the fragment ions according to their mobility characteristics; wherein the separation and fragmentation steps are performed at a pressure of at least 50 mbar; detecting at least some of the separated fragment ions; and identifying at least one molecular ion based on its mobility characteristics and/or the mobility characteristics of at least one detected fragment ion.