SOFT IONIZATION SYSTEM AND METHOD OF USE THEREOF

Methods and systems are provided for ionizing molecules for the purpose of analysis by mass spectrometry, in which gaseous material from a sample substrate is generated using laser desorption The laser is provided having a pulse range of about 1-1000 picoseconds to produce the gaseous material The gaseous material is heated to generate ions from the molecules present in the gaseous material where the amount of heat that is applied is in the temperature range of 45 °C to 250 °C and the applied heat results in soft ionization of the molecules The ionized molecules are transported to a mass spectrometer for analysis Divers modes de réalisation de l'invention concernent un procédé et un système pour ioniser des molécules qui sont présentes dans un matériau gazeux, vaporisé, sous forme de panache ou d'aérosol en vue d'une analyse par spectrométrie de masse.