Evaluation on Application of MS Imaging to Industrial Chemical Fields Using Dithranol Deposition Method

User Benefits

- The dithranol deposition method with iMLayer can produce finer and more uniform crystals than the spray method. - The dithranol deposition method with iMLayer has improved the quality of MS images of DVD dyes, compared to the spray method. - The dithranol deposition method with iMLayer can reduce the effect of impurities in dithranol, compared to the spray method.

Introduction

Dithranol is one of the matrices indispensable for MALDI-MS measurements of polymeric materials and industrial chemicals since it is well-suited for ionization of non-polar polymers. However, commercially available dithranols are known to contain impurities, and it is therefore necessary to examine whether these impurities interfere with the ionization of analytes. Moreover, the spray method, a simple matrix coating method, has a drawback in that the matrix crystals are coarse and reduce the spatial resolution in MS imaging. In contrast, the vapor deposition method can produce uniform and fine matrix crystals, and thus maintain high spatial resolution. The Shimadzu iMLayer matrix vapor deposition system has good reproducibility since it can control the amount of matrix applied by controlling the coating thickness. It can also set the heating temperature according to the matrix, and is therefore expected to reduce the contamination of impurities with higher sublimation temperatures. This article introduces an evaluation study aimed at suppressing impurity peaks of dithranol and improving its spatial resolution.

July 16, 2021 GMT