Fourier transform laser microprobe mass spectrometry for the molecular identification of inorganic compounds

This study attempted to determine the molecular composition of inorganic analytes at the surface of solids by Fourier transform laser microprobe mass spectrometry (FT LMMS) with an external ion source. A database was established from the analysis of pure compounds. FT LMMS uses a similar ionization as the older LMMS instruments with time-of-flight (TOF) mass analyzer. However, apart from the mass resolution, the mass spectral patterns can be significantly different in FT LMMS compared to TOF LMMS. FT LMMS yields detailed information on the analyte by means of structural fragments, enabling us to specify the main building blocks, as well as adduct ions, consisting of the analyte molecule and a stable ion. Hence, deductive reasoning allows tentative characterization of the analogs without reference spectra, except for compounds with the same elements in different stoichiometries. In that case comparative data are needed.