| Abstract: | Field desorption (FD) enables mass-spectrometric investigation of large organic molecules without their vaporization. The present state of our theoretical understanding of the ionization of these molecules in the adsorbed state on organic emitters is described. The special problems of the technique and prospective developments in the apparatus for future analytical problems are outlined. The present progress report concentrates on analytical studies of biochemical model compounds and degradation products from environmental chemicals and drugs. The method is particularly suitable for the detection and identification of submicrogram quantities of underivatized polar substances present in complex mixtures or pre-purified extracts from biological materials. |
