Solvent optimization is an important procedure in desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) and in this study the effects of solvent surface tension are explored. Data are presented for methanol/water/surfactant solvent systems, which show increases in ion signals of more than an order of magnitude when low concentrations of surfactants are added to the standard methanol/water (1:1) spray solvent. Examples of analytes tested include food chemicals, peptides, pharmaceuticals, and drugs of abuse. The improvement in ion intensity is mainly attributed to the effect of surface tension in producing smaller spray droplets, which are shown to cover a larger surface area. Surfactant-containing spray solutions allowed extension of DESI-MS analysis to previously intractable analytes like melamine and highly hydrophobic compounds like the sudan dyes.

溶剂优化是解吸电喷雾电离 (DESI) 中的一个重要过程，本研究探讨了溶剂表面张力的影响。提供了甲醇/水/表面活性剂溶剂系统的数据，当将低浓度的表面活性剂添加到标准甲醇/水 (1:1) 喷雾溶剂中时，这些系统显示离子信号增加了一个数量级以上。测试的分析物的例子包括食品化学品、肽、药物和滥用药物。离子强度的提高主要归因于表面张力对产生更小的喷雾液滴的影响，这些液滴被证明覆盖了更大的表面积。含表面活性剂的喷雾溶液允许将 DESI-MS 分析扩展到以前难以处理的分析物，如三聚氰胺和高度疏水的化合物，如苏丹染料。