Surface-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization of Metal Complexes with Dithizone

Complex compounds of Cu, Ag, Pd, Pt, and Au with dithizone (diphenylthiocarbazone) were studied by surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization from nanocrystalline silicon. The study demonstrated that all investigated complexes ionize efficiently in the negative ion mode, forming molecular ions and one or more types of fragment ions. The limits of detection for the metal dithizonates were determined. A possibility of coupling laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry with single drop microextraction for metal detection was explored. Factors affecting the concentration factor were examined, and the optimal conditions for performing single drop microextraction in gold determination were found. The limit of detection for gold is 5 pg/mL.