A laser ablation cell (1) comprises a flow channel (11) having an essentially constant cross-sectional area so as to ensure a strictly laminar flow in the flow channel. A sample chamber (21) is provided adjacent to a lateral opening (14) of the flow channel. A laser beam (41) enters the sample chamber (21) through a lateral window (16) and impinges on a surface (24) of a sample (23) to ablate material from the sample. The sample may be positioned in such a distance from the flow channel that the laser-generated aerosol mass distribution has its center within the flow channel. This leads to short aerosol washout times. The laser ablation cell is particularly well suited for aerosol generation in inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS), including imaging applications.

The present disclosure is directed to methods and systems for detecting a chemical substance. The methods and systems include chemically modifying a sample of a substance of interest through combination with a reagent to increase the volatility of the substance of interest. The systems and methods further include performing an analysis of the substance of interest.

A method of performing Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry, comprising: Providing a specimen on a specimen holder; Using an ion beam to irradiate a region of a surface of said specimen, thereby producing ablated specimen material; Collecting ionized constituents of said ablated material in a mass analyzer, and sorting them according to species,
further comprising: Providing a catalytic gas proximal said region of the specimen surface during said irradiation, said gas comprising a component selected from the group comprising perfluoroalkanes and their isomers.

An apparatus and a method for preparing glow discharge sputtering samples for materials microscopic characterization are provided. The apparatus includes a glow discharge sputtering unit, a glow discharge power supply, a gas circuit automatic control unit, a spectrometer, and a computer. The structure of the glow discharge sputtering unit is optimized to be more suitable for sample preparation by simulation. By adding a magnetic field to the glow discharge plasma, uniform sample sputtering is realized within a large size range of the sample surface. The spectrometer monitors multi-element signal in a depth direction of the sample sputtering, so that precise preparation of different layer microstructures is realized. In conjunction with the acquisition of the sample position marks and the precise spatial coordinates (x, y, z) information, the correspondence between the surface space coordinates and the microstructure of the sample is conveniently realized.

An ion molecule reactor for generating analyte ions from analytes comprises: a) a reaction volume in which reagent ions can interact with the analytes in order to form analyte ions; b) at least one analyte inlet for introducing the analytes along an inlet path into the reaction volume whereby, preferably, the inlet path runs essentially along at least a first section of the predefined transit path in the reaction volume; c) at least one reagent ion source and/or at least one reagent ion inlet for providing reagent ions into the reaction volume; d) optionally, at least one ion guide comprising an electrode arrangement which is configured for producing an alternating electrical, magnetic and/or electromagnetic field, that allows for guiding the reagent ions and/or the analyte ions at least along a section of the predefined transit path, preferably along the whole transit path, through the reaction volume.

The invention generally relates to systems and methods for transferring ions for analysis. In certain embodiments, the invention provides a system for analyzing a sample including an ionizing source for converting molecules of a sample into gas phase ions in a region at about atmospheric pressure, an ion analysis device, and an ion transfer member operably coupled to a gas flow generating device, in which the gas flow generating device produces a laminar gas flow that transfers the gas phase ions through the ion transfer member to an inlet of the ion analysis device.

A detection apparatus and a detection method are disclosed. In one aspect, the detection apparatus includes a sampling device for collecting samples to be checked. It further includes a sample pre-processing device configured to pre-process the sample from the sampling device. It further includes a sample analyzing device for separating samples from the pre-processing device and for analyzing the separated samples. The detection apparatus is miniaturized and highly precise, and is capable of quickly and accurately detecting gaseous phase or particulate substances, and it has applications for safety inspections at airports, ports, and subway stations.

The disclosure relates to an apparatus, method and process for detecting rare earth elements. The system includes an LED powered by a first power source and a focusing lens in optical communication with the LED. A shortpass filter is in optical communication with the focusing lens; and a fiber bifurcated cable in optical communication with the shortpass filter. The system includes a probe tip in optical communication with the fiber bifurcated cable and a sample; a first aspheric lens in optical communication with the fiber bifurcated cable. A longpass filter is in optical communication with the first aspheric lens and a second aspheric lens in optical communication with the longpass filter. The system includes a spectrometer connected to a power source, where the spectrometer is in optical communication with the second aspheric lens.

Methods, systems and devices that provide fluid devices with at least one SPE bed adjacent (upstream of) a separation channel which may be in communication with an inlet of a Mass Spectrometer. The fluid device can be configured to operate using independently applied pressures to a BGE reservoir and a sample reservoir for pressure-driven injection that can inject a discrete sample plug into a separation channel that does not require voltage applied to the sample reservoir and can allow for in-channel focusing methods to be used. The methods, systems and devices are particularly suitable for use with a mass spectrometer but optical or other electronic detectors may also be used with the fluidic devices.

A water-containing simulated lunar soil preparation and water content measurement system and method is provided. The system includes a water-containing simulated lunar soil preparation unit, a low-pressure environment simulation unit, and a water content analysis unit. The water-containing simulated lunar soil preparation unit includes a preparation pipeline, a low-temperature lunar soil cold trap, and a low-temperature water ice cold trap. Both ends of the preparation pipeline are connected with the low-temperature lunar soil cold trap and the low-temperature water ice cold trap through a first opening and closing valve and a second opening and closing valve, respectively. The low-pressure environment simulation unit includes a low-pressure pipeline provided with a vacuum pump. Both ends of the low-pressure pipeline are connected with the preparation pipeline and the water content analysis unit through a first pneumatic valve and a second pneumatic valve, respectively.