Time-of-flight detection of monoatomic ions generated by femtosecond laser ablation from large molecules

Single-shot femtosecond laser ablation (fsLA) was applied to large molecules to analyze elemental composition through out wide range of mass-to-charge ratio. Molecular samples such as Eu-DNA and cosmetic powders were atomized and ionized simultaneously by the single-shot fsLA and positive atomic ions were detected using a reflectron time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometer. The ratios among the signal intensity of the detected stable isotopes including 151,153Eu and 182–184,186W were consistent with the respective natural abundances of the isotopes. The results demonstrate the feasibility of the fsLA-TOF method as a high-throughput analytical technique for elemental microanalysis of large molecular samples in small quantities.