Pulsed laser desorption method for volatilizing thermally labile molecules for supersonic jet spectroscopy

Abstract

A technique using pulsed laser desorption is described as a means of volatilizing nonvolatile and thermally labile molecules into the gas phase for entrainment in supersonic jet expansions. By carefully controlling the laser desorption power and by using a glycerol matrix to provide a thin even film of sample, repetitive desorption can be achieved over an extended period for performing jet spectroscopy. Using resonant two‐photon ionization spectroscopy while monitoring only the molecular ion in a time‐of‐flight mass spectrometer, cold sharp spectra are observed for molecules which are difficult to volatilize by conventional heating methods.