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Updated: Jun 16, 2025

Whole-body Mass Spectrometry Imaging by Infrared Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption Electrospray Ionization IR-MALDESI
Published on: March 24, 2016
Applications of MALDI mass spectrometry in forensic science
Camila M de Almeida1, Nayara A Dos Santos1,2, Valdemar Lacerda1
1Laboratory of Petroleomics and Forensics, Universidade Federal Do Espírito Santo (UFES), Av. Fernando Ferrari, 514, Goiabeiras, Vitória, Espírito Santo, 29075-910, Brazil.
Abstract:
Forensic chemistry literature has grown exponentially, with many analytical techniques being used to provide valuable information to help solve criminal cases. Among them, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI MS), particularly MALDI MS imaging (MALDI MSI), has shown much potential in forensic applications. Due to its high specificity, MALDI MSI can analyze a wide variety of compounds in complex samples without extensive sample preparation, providing chemical profiles and spatial distributions of given analyte(s). This review introduces MALDI MS(I) to forensic scientists with a focus on its basic principles and the applications of MALDI MS(I) to the analysis of fingerprints, drugs of abuse, and their metabolites in hair, medicine samples, animal tissues, and inks in documents.
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