Molecular imaging by mass spectrometry: application to forensics

摘要

Selective and sensitive imaging mass spectrometry-based approaches are presented as very powerful tools for forensic investigations. The sample preparation prior to MS analyses is considerably reduced enabling an enhanced analytical throughput. The material consumption is very low and the spatial distribution of the drugs and their metabolites is kept intact within the samples, which can reveal decisive information in the case of latent fingerprints or hair analysis to monitor, for example, cocaine consumption. The development of ambient mass spectrometry with and without a matrix is still growing with the emergence of techniques such as direct analysis in real-time (DART), plasma-assisted desorption ioni-sation (PADI) or extractive electrospray ionisation (EESI)20 just to name a few. In forensic investigation, a spatial resolution of several hundred micrometres is sufficient to generate relevant data.