Chemical Sampling Interface Easily Detects Features

A team of researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a system that, within mere seconds, can identify and characterize a solid or liquid sample, providing a valuable tool with applications in forensics, material science, biology, pharmaceuticals and chemistry.

"The simplicity of our device allows even novices with the means to introduce unprocessed solid or liquid samples into a mass spectrometer without fear of instrument contamination," Gary Van Berkel of ORNL's Chemical Sciences Division, notes in a news release.

When identifying a compound, researchers simply touch the object of interest to the solvent at the sampling end with the help of a probe that's connected to a mass spectrometer. From there, almost instantaneously, a screen displays data that identifies the chemical and its approximate concentration, researchers say.

As the approach requires no sample preparation and the device is self-cleaning, the system is particularly appealing because it's useful in a wide-range of applications, Van Berkel said. Furthermore, he expects that the first versions of the patent-pending device will work as a cost-effective addition to existing mass spectrometry systems that are commonplace in government, university and clinical laboratories.

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