Ambient Mass Spectrometry Techniques and Applications

Ambient mass spectrometry encompasses a suite of ionisation methods that permit direct analysis of samples in their native state under atmospheric pressure without extensive preparation. Techniques such as desorption electrospray ionisation, direct analysis in real time and emerging plasma-based methods enable rapid detection of small molecules, biomolecules and inorganic species across diverse matrices. Owing to minimal sample handling and compatibility with high-throughput workflows, ambient methods have been applied to environmental monitoring, food safety, clinical diagnostics, forensic screening and industrial process control. Recent innovation has focused on expanding coverage of chemically diverse analytes, improving sensitivity and specificity through novel ion sources and interfacing strategies, and coupling with portable or miniaturised mass analysers for point-of-care or field deployment. In parallel, advances in sampling substrates, microextraction protocols and chemometric data processing have enhanced quantitative performance and enabled spatially resolved molecular imaging. As the field matures, integrative platforms that combine programmable ionisation, real-time analytics and automated data interpretation are poised to address pressing challenges in public health, security and environmental sustainability.

Research from Nature Portfolio

A novel wide-energy programmable microwave plasma-ionization system has been developed to digitally tune ionisation energy, achieving broad coverage of polar biomolecules, heavy metals and non-polar compounds in seconds. Rapid waveform scanning permits simultaneous detection of multiple analyte classes in a single drop of serum, soil extracts or landfill leachate and supports quantitative coupling to liquid chromatography. Another study has demonstrated quantitative analysis of biofluid spots via coated blade spray mass spectrometry using only microlitres of sample. Target drugs and metabolites are enriched on a functionalised blade and directly electrosprayed, delivering sub-nanogram per millilitre quantitation within minutes and minimal matrix interference. In a foundational contribution, entire chemical fingerprints obtained by ambient desorption have been subjected to unsupervised clustering, enabling high-throughput species identification and classification without prior knowledge of individual constituents, with applications from biodiversity monitoring to forensic timber analysis.

Ambient Mass Spectrometry Techniques and Applications publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in ambient mass spectrometry techniques and applications across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Ambient ionisation: Generation of gas-phase ions from samples under atmospheric pressure without extensive preparation.

Microwave plasma-ionization: Ionisation method using a microwave-excited plasma to produce reactive species for analyte ionisation.

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME): A solvent-free sampling technique in which analytes are concentrated on a coated fibre or substrate.

Coated blade spray: An SPME-derived method using a functionalised metal blade to extract analytes and serve as an electrospray emitter.

Chemometrics: Application of multivariate statistical methods to interpret complex mass spectral data and extract meaningful patterns.

References

1. Wide-energy programmable microwave plasma-ionization for high-coverage mass spectrometry analysis. Nature Communications (2024).
2. Manipulation of Gaseous Ions with Acoustic Fields at Atmospheric Pressure. Journal of the American Chemical Society (2024).
3. Quantitative analysis of biofluid spots by coated blade spray mass spectrometry, a new approach to rapid screening. Scientific Reports (2017).
4. A High Throughput Ambient Mass Spectrometric Approach to Species Identification and Classification from Chemical Fingerprint Signatures. Scientific Reports (2015).
5. Comparison of different approaches for direct coupling of solid-phase microextraction to mass spectrometry for drugs of abuse analysis in plasma. Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis (2022).
6. Potential of Recent Ambient Ionization Techniques for Future Food Contaminant Analysis Using (Trans)Portable Mass Spectrometry. Food Analytical Methods (2019).