Chapter 4: Atmospheric Samples Analysis Probe (ASAP) Mass Spectrometry

Atmospheric samples analysis probe (ASAP) mass spectrometry (MS) is an easy to use and cost-effective means for directly analyzing materials without interfering with electrospray ionization (ESI) or atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) on commercial ion sources. The simplicity of introducing samples directly into an atmospheric pressure ion source using disposable melting point tubes has resulted in ASAP-MS becoming commercially available and widely used in various applications. This chapter provides an overview of the fundamentals of the method and a synopsis of published work. A more detailed description of an application of the ASAP approach to ink analysis is provided along with a section describing extension of the ASAP method to nonvolatile compounds.