title: Mass spectrometry made easy: the quest for simplicity.
abstract: Mass spectrometry (MS) is generally viewed as a highly complex and demanding technique, full of difficulties and apprehensions. Ease and simplicity have been infrequently used descriptors of MS but a series of revolutionary developments is turning a complex technique into a model of simplicity, making MS easier than ever. Focusing on spray-based ambient desorption/ionization techniques, we discuss how previously unthinkable goals for MS - (1) to bring it to a real world open atmosphere environment; (2) to perform fast, selective, and highly sensitive chemical and biochemical MS analysis with ease while (3) avoiding pre-separation and sample work-up for samples in their natural environment and therefore, at the end, (4) to make MS accessible in wherever MS is needed and by whoever needs it - have become feasible. Without compromising the unique combination of high speed, selectivity, sensitivity and separation competences, simplicity has become a new MS attribute - a fifth 'S' in the unique 5 S set of MS trademark features.
authors.affiliation: ThoMSon Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, Institute of Chemistry, University of Campinas - UNICAMP, Campinas, SP 13083-970, Brazil.
authors.forename: Nicolas V
authors.initials: NV
authors.lastname: Schwab
authors.forename: Marcos N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Eberlin
mesh_terms: D004560:Electricity; D004867:Equipment Design; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000191:economics* / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D008904:Miniaturization / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000032:analysis; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization / Q000191:economics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D014618:Vacuum
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations