Liquid Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry

Liquid secondary-ion mass spectrometry (liquid SIMS) is an obsolescent ionization technique that revolutionized the analyses of large biological molecules in the 1980s. The term includes fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry (FAB-MS). The technique has been largely superseded by electrospray ionization. This account will cover the history of the technique, the principles of the operation, and the development of continuous flow systems allowing a degree of liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry operation and cover the application of the technique, especially to polar and large molecules such as peptides and small proteins.