Molecular scavengers as carriers of analytes for mass spectrometry identification.

Storage and preconcentration of various molecules by molecular scavengers for thermal desorption and identification by mass spectrometry is presented. A dielectric barrier discharge ionization source combined with a heating element for the chemical characterization of amines and organic acids, initially trapped by molecular scavengers, is described. The developed technique can be applied for preconcentration of minute amounts of molecules in liquid and gaseous phases, as well as their transportation and thorough analysis. The method, operating at ambient pressure, can also be complementary to electron impact ionization, with no need for sample derivatization.