Chemically activated surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry for detection of 8-hydroxyquinoline and its derivatives

Thermally oxidized molybdenum surfaces enable in situ coordination derivatization of 8-hydroxyquinoline and its derivatives directly on the platform for surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization. Such on-target derivatization provides enhanced sensitivity, low background and high selectivity, highlighting the potential of this chemically activated laser desorption/ionization method for the analysis of difficult-toionize chelating organic molecules.