A use of an anthranilic acid derivative as a matrix for a MALDI Mass spectrometry, comprising: preparing a matrix compound represented by the following formula: ##STR00001## wherein X is selected from hydrogen and a hydroxyl group, and Y is selected from hydrogen, a methyl group or an acetyl group, provided that when X is hydrogen, Y is hydrogen or an acetyl group, and when X is a hydroxyl group, Y is a methyl group; applying the matrix compound and an analyte onto a sample holder; and analyzing the analyte by the MALDI mass spectrometer.

An analysis device collects data by performing a predetermined analysis on each specimen and processes the data. The analysis device includes an analysis processing unit (23) configured to execute multivariate analysis processing based on collected data for analysis of a difference between a plurality of measurement targets or classification of the plurality of measurement targets, a feature extraction unit (24) configured to extract a characteristic parameter or element estimated to be mainly related to a difference or classification from a multivariate analysis result according to a predetermined criterion, an image creation unit (25) configured to create an image of a predetermined two-dimensional range corresponding to the parameter or element extracted by the feature extraction unit, and a display processing unit (26) configured to assign a same visual aspect to the characteristic parameter or element extracted on the multivariate analysis result and the image created correspondingly and display the multivariate analysis result and the image on a display unit (4).

A method of analysis using mass spectrometry and/or ion mobility spectrometry is disclosed. The method comprises: using a first device to generate smoke, aerosol or vapour from a target comprising or consisting of a microbial population; mass analysing and/or ion mobility analysing said smoke, aerosol or vapour, or ions derived therefrom, in order to obtain spectrometric data; and analysing said spectrometric data in order to analyse said microbial population.

Disclosed herein are specimen imaging systems, comprising: a sample stage in a vacuum environment, the sample stage configured to support a specimen; an electron beam generator configured to focus an electron beam on a first predetermined location on the specimen; a nanospray dispenser configured to dispense a nanospray onto a second predetermined location on the specimen; a mass spectrometer; and an extraction conduit configured to extract a plume of charged particles generated as a result of contact between the nanospray and the specimen and deliver the charged particles to the mass spectrometer. The system can create a topological and chemical map of the specimen by analyzing at least a portion of the specimen with a mass spectrometer to determine a chemical composition of the specimen at the second predetermined location and analyzing at least a portion of the specimen with the electron beam to determine a surface topology.

A method for in-situ joint nanoscale three-dimensional imaging and chemical analysis of a sample. A single charged particle beam device is used for generating a sequence of two-dimensional nanoscale images of the sample, and for sputtering secondary ions from the sample, which are analysed using a secondary ion mass spectrometry device. The two-dimensional images are combined into a three-dimensional volume representation of the sample, the data of which is combined with the results of the chemical analysis.

In a data processing unit, alignment is performed by appropriately deforming one image among MS imaging images acquired from different samples so that positions and sizes on the MS imaging image are matched (S1 to S5). When the aligned image is displayed on a screen of a display unit and a user sets a region of interest on the image serving as a reference (S6), a micro region including a center point within a range of the set region of interest is extracted in each of an image serving as the reference and an image not serving as the reference (S7). In the image subjected to image deformation, although the shape of each micro region is distorted and micro regions are not arranged in an orderly grid manner, by assuming that the micro regions in which the center point is included within the range of the region of interest is included in the range of the region of interest, it is possible to perform a comparative analysis based on the data value within an appropriate micro region corresponding to the region of interest regardless of the image deformation.

The present invention provides an imaging mass spectrometer which generates ions by irradiating a sample with a laser beam and performs mass spectrometry of the ions, the imaging mass spectrometer including: a laser irradiation unit 30 configured to emit the laser beam toward the sample, a condensing optical system 33 disposed between the laser irradiation unit 30 and the sample and configured to condense the laser beam emitted from the laser irradiation unit 30, an image acquiring unit 40 configured to acquire a condensing state checking image which is an optical microscopic image capable of checking a condensing state on the sample of the laser beam emitted from the laser irradiation unit 30, and a display unit 64 configured to display the condensing state checking image acquired by the image acquiring unit 40 on a display screen.

A mass spectrometry method including: focusing an excitation beam by an excitation beam optical system at a predetermined position of the sample stage, and recording a position of a beam irradiation system including the excitation beam optical system and a movable sample stage at that time as a reference position and a temperature of the beam irradiation system at that time as a reference temperature (Steps 1 and 2); acquiring temperature dependency information which is information representing a change in position of the excitation beam optical system and the sample stage with respect to a change in temperature of the beam irradiation system and recording the temperature dependency information (Step 3); and correcting a focusing position of an excitation beam using the moving mechanism based on a difference between a temperature of the beam irradiation system during use and the reference temperature and the temperature dependency information (Step 7).

A mass spectrometry method using a mass spectrometer 1 including a first moving mechanism 151 configured to move a sample stage 14 in a first direction in a plane parallel to the sample stage 14 and a second moving mechanism 152 configured to move the first moving mechanism 151 in a second direction different from the first direction in a plane parallel to the sample stage 14. The mass spectrometry method causes an irradiation point of excitation beam to be intermittently moved between a plurality of measurement points two-dimensionally arranged on a sample placed on the sample stage 14 with the first direction as a main movement direction (Step 4), and performs mass spectrometry at each of a plurality of the measurement points (Step 5).

Imaging mass spectrometry section (100) performs a mass spectrometric analysis at each of the micro areas set within a measurement area on a target sample, and acquires a graphical image showing a signal-intensity distribution at a specific mass-to-charge ratio or mass-to-charge-ratio range. Quantitative analysis section (300) determines a quantitative value using an analysis result obtained by performing an analysis on the sample collected from each predetermined site within the measurement area of the target sample, using a predetermined analytical technique exhibiting a higher level of quantitative determination performance than the mass spectrometric analysis. Processing section (400) determines the relationship between signal intensity and quantitative value, based on quantitative values determined for the sample at predetermined sites and signal intensities at positions corresponding to the predetermined sites in the signal-intensity distribution, and estimates the quantitative value at an arbitrary position within the signal-intensity distribution, using the relationship.