Selectivity analysis mass spectrometric imaging

In order to use a mass spectrometer as an imaging instrument, it is necessary for the mass spectrometer to be equipped with a rastering function, which allows the sample (or the laser beam) to be rastered in a precise manner to move the laser beam across the tissue surface. A sophisticated data acquisition system is necessary to handle the large amount of data acquired during analysis, and visualization software is essential to create images from the ion intensities of selected ions. Several commercial mass spectrometric imaging instruments are now available with these features. Almost all manufacturers have developed in-house software and have included methods for instrument and image reconstruction, but there are some noncommercial products as well. 

Atomic spectrometric methods of analysis essentially make use of equipment for spectral dispersion so as to isolate the signals of the elements to be determined and to make the full selectivity of the methodology available. In optical atomic spectrometry, this involves the use of dispersive as well as of non-dispersive spectrometers. The radiation from the spectrochemical radiation sources or the radiation which has passed through the atom reservoir is then imaged into an optical spectrometer. In the case of atomic spectrometry, when using a plasma as an ion source, mass spectrometric equipment is required so as to separate the ions of the different analytes according to their mass to charge ratio. In both cases suitable data acquisition and data treatment systems need to be provided with the instruments as well. 

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