Editorial pubs.acs.org/ac
Ionization Methods in Mass Spectrometry
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ass spectrometry has undoubtedly boomed over the last two decades and has become a major analytical tool in many disciplines, very prominently in the biological sciences but in many other areas as well. Mass spectrometry relies on the separation of ions of different m/z, i.e., its success hinges on efficient ionization methods that furthermore should be tailored to the task at hand: depending on the application, ionization should be soft, hard, selective, as efficient as possible, etc. What are the main themes in the area of “ionization”? Contributions to unraveling ionization mechanisms are relatively frequently found in Analytical Chemistry. In my mind, the justification is very clear (better understanding → better control → more suitable ionization conditions for the problem to be solved), although the steps from a better understanding to optimized settings of an ionization source are not always made. There are many new variants of ESI, (MAL)DI, SIMS, or plasma ionization, some of which have really impressive properties. In electrospray, the innovative use of additives is an interesting topic, to assist the ionization process by performing a function such as supercharging or solubilizing the analyte. Innovations in ionization methodology can also give access to new areas of application, from better characterization of biological samples (microorganisms, tissues, glycans) to prebiotic reactions that take place on mineral surfaces. Finally, better ionization methods often have a direct impact on instrumentation, for example, in the development of miniaturized mass spectrometers by opening up ways for analyzing nanoscale samples. With very few exceptions, this virtual issue pulls together publications from Volumes 85 and 86 (2013 and 2014) of Analytical Chemistry; a couple of publications from Volume 84 (2012) were included for completeness. These papers are exemplary of the developments summarized above−although there are certainly many more in Analytical Chemistry (and in other journals) that could have been highlighted.
Renato Zenobi,* Ph.D., Associate Editor, Analytical Chemistry
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Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland
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[email protected]. Notes
Views expressed in this editorial are those of the author and not necessarily the views of the ACS.
© XXXX American Chemical Society
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DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.5b01062 Anal. Chem. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX
