AN EXCITING JOURNEY THROUGH LIGHT AND MASS

There is no doubt that techniques based on light-matter interactions such as atomic absorption or atomic emission spectrometry as well as those based on mass-charge ratio, such as organic or inorganic mass spectrometry are indispensable either for research purposes or routine analyses. Their solid status are emphasized through their principles and in many applications exemplified in the literature [1,2].
In this sense, an overview of contributions into absorption and emission techniques as well as into mass spectrometry is shown as our own journey through such techniques. As examples regarding atomic spectrometry, is described the nebulization mechanism based on thermospray flame furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (TS-FF-AAS) through fast images [3], as well as the evaluation of the dynamic bioaccessibility of some metals in soybean crops through an on-line inductively couple plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES) system [4]. Regarding to inorganic mass spectrometry, the laser-ablation MS in the imaging mode is presented as a powerful technique in cancer studies [5], and a new imaging program is also presented [6]. Finally, taken into account organic mass spectrometry, the travelling wave ion mobility spectrometry mass spectrometry (TWIMS-MS) is demonstrated as an elegant technique for speciation purposes [7], and the easy ambient sonic spray nebulization mass spectrometry [8] is helping us to forensic purposes.
At the end, the applications of such techniques demonstrates their useful to multidisciplinary studies, pushing forward the limits of atomic and mass spectrometry.