Chemical Imaging with Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI-MS) is a relatively new ambient surface analysis method. This technique requires little or no sample preparation prior to the actual analysis. Along with other application areas, DESI-MS is used to obtain chemical images of different biomolecules in biological tissue sections. In the case of biological tissue analysis, only preparation of the tissue slices is necessary. Furthermore, the method does not require the use of an ionization matrix preventing the redistribution of analytes prior to the analysis. Chemical images are obtained by monitoring the mass spectrometric signals of compounds while moving the sample relative to the DESI sprayer.