Introduction to ambient ionization mass spectrometry

Because the number of studies on ambient ionization techniques and their applications continues to increase, especially with respect to the life sciences, a systematic understanding of numerous emerging ambient ionization techniques becomes necessary. In this chapter, we briefly outline ambient ionization techniques to improve readability for readers. First, we discuss the definition of ambient ionization by referring to previously reported papers on this topic and then classify numerous ambient ionization methods into six groups on the basis of the principle of each method, as follows: (1) spray desorption/ionization-based methods; (2) laser ablation/desorption-based methods; (3) thermal desorption-based methods; (4) plasma-based methods; (5) substrate-based methods; and (6) hybrid/other methods. According to such classification, we briefly explain the mechanisms and features of the representative methods in each group. We lastly present the objective of this book and provide a brief explanation of each chapter; additionally, we introduce some useful review articles on ambient ionization techniques for reference.