Direct Mass Spectrometry as a Practical Analytical Strategy for High Speed, High Throughput Testing

Abstract

Thanks to the development of new methods and the ongoing evolution of existing approaches, there are now over thirty different ambient ionization or direct mass spectrometry (D-MS) sample introduction/ionization strategies. A critical question, however, is whether these techniques can generate faster, yet comparable results to those obtained through the application of more conventional mass spectrometric techniques. This chapter discusses the strengths and weaknesses of conventional chromatography-mass spectrometry combinations (e.g., GC-MS(/MS) and LC- MS(/MS)), introduces and presents the benefits of D-MS approaches, and illustrates the practical potential of these strategies by way of specific example applications.