Ion counting methods

Second, it is possible to make use of single ion counting methods to record an actual numerical result (the number of ions) directly at each mass position. Thus, a two-dimensional data matrix is the immediate result. 

Although not fully exploited because of the high diversity and complexity of laser experiments the introduction of multiphoton ionisation into mass spectrometry significantly expanded the applicability of this tool in the analysis of complex gas mixtures as the polluted atmosphere. Molecular specificity as obtained in high resolution vibrational spectroscopy combined with high sensitivity as known for ion counting methods makes this new technique unique in untangling reaction mechanisms [15, 19,20,24]. 

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