Laser Resonance Ionization Mass Spectrometry

The analysis of inorganic atomic species is greatly facilitated by the coupling of lasers with mass spectrometers. A tunable dye laser, alone or in combination with a pump laser, ionizes atoms by resonant excitation processes; the ions are then analyzed in the mass spectrometer. The laser-mass spectrometer system promises to overcome traditional limits of sensitivity and selectivity and to have diverse applications in analytical chemistry.