Sonic spray ionization is a method for creating ion

Ion

An ion is an atom or molecule in which the total number of electrons is not equal to the total number of protons, giving it a net positive or negative electrical charge. The name was given by physicist Michael Faraday for the substances that allow a current to pass between electrodes in a...

s from a liquid solution

Solution

In chemistry, a solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of only one phase. In such a mixture, a solute is dissolved in another substance, known as a solvent. The solvent does the dissolving.- Types of solutions :...

, for example, a mixture of methanol

Methanol

Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, wood alcohol, wood naphtha or wood spirits, is a chemical with the formula CH3OH . It is the simplest alcohol, and is a light, volatile, colorless, flammable liquid with a distinctive odor very similar to, but slightly sweeter than, ethanol...

 and water

Water

Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...

. A pneumatic nebulizer

Nebulizer

In medicine, a nebulizer is a device used to administer medication in the form of a mist inhaled into the lungs....

 is used to turn the solution into a supersonic

Supersonic

Supersonic speed is a rate of travel of an object that exceeds the speed of sound . For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C this speed is approximately 343 m/s, 1,125 ft/s, 768 mph or 1,235 km/h. Speeds greater than five times the speed of sound are often...

 spray of small droplets. Ions are formed when the solvent evaporates and the statistically unbalanced charge distribution on the droplets leads to a net charge. Complete desolvation results in ions that can be detected using mass spectrometry

Mass spectrometry

Mass spectrometry is an analytical technique that measures the mass-to-charge ratio of charged particles.It is used for determining masses of particles, for determining the elemental composition of a sample or molecule, and for elucidating the chemical structures of molecules, such as peptides and...

.

Applications

Sonic spray ionization has been coupled with high performance liquid chromatography

High performance liquid chromatography

High-performance liquid chromatography , HPLC, is a chromatographic technique that can separate a mixture of compounds and is used in biochemistry and analytical chemistry to identify, quantify and purify the individual components of the mixture.HPLC typically utilizes different types of stationary...

 for the analysis of drugs. Oligonucleotides have been studied with this method. SSI has been used in a manner similar to desorption electrospray ionization

Desorption electrospray ionization

Desorption electrospray ionization is an ambient ionization technique that can be used in mass spectrometry for chemical analysis. It is an atmospheric pressure ion source that ionizes gases, liquids and solids in open air under ambient conditions. It was developed in 2004 by Professor Graham...

 for ambient ionization

Ambient ionization

Ambient ionization is a form of ionization in which ions are formed outside the mass spectrometer without sample preparation or separation.-Direct analysis in real time:...

 and has been couplet with thin layer chromatography

Thin layer chromatography

Thin layer chromatography is a chromatography technique used to separate mixtures. Thin layer chromatography is performed on a sheet of glass, plastic, or aluminum foil, which is coated with a thin layer of adsorbent material, usually silica gel, aluminium oxide, or cellulose...

in this manner.