Atmospheric pressure thermal ionization ion source for peptide analysis.

A novel atmospheric pressure thermal ionization (APTI) ion source was developed for the analysis of liquid samples. The feasibility of the ion source was demonstrated on peptides using two configurations-assisted by hot wire or hot surface. Microalloyed molybdenum, used as a thermal ion- emitter, notably facilitated the formation of multiply-charged ions, but fragmentation products were still observed. Peptide fragmentation accompanying thermal ionization can be used for peptide identification. The described method is promising for studies of biological samples with minimal pre-treatment.