DART / Direct Analysis Real Time

Most people knows DART as a game throws arrows on a board, but how many knows DART standing for "Direct Ananlysis Real Time" och är an ionization technique for MS (Mass Spectrometry).

How does DART work?

By applying a voltage He is excited to He-plasma and the charged spieces are filtered away through a grid. Therby a gas stream of neutral He-atoms hits the sample. Two ionization processes can occur.

• penning ionization- transfer of metastabile ions and
• proton transfer - ionization of water molecules in the air giving a water cluster that easily can give a proton away.
• Read more in orginal articel from Cody et.al.
• or at Wikipedia

What is possible to analyze?

• liquids / dip a glas rod or similar in your sample and place it into the gas stream - results direct
  in the lates version the sample is placed on a metal net.
• gases / hold a volataile sample under the gas stream - results direct
• powder / mix the powder with metal shavings - apply on a magnet in gas stream - results direct
• solid samples / hold sample into gas stream - results direct

How does DART look like?

• SVP-controller is the squared box. Works like a computer controlling gases, heating etc.
• Ipod or IPhone alternative a computer for control of all units.
• The DART-ion source(round) can be connected to most MS-instruments on the market.

How is DART controlled?

• With your Iphone you can build and store methods for different types of applications.
• you have also direct control DART
  • temperatures or temperature profiles
  • gases
  • movment for sample introduction etc.
    
• a lot of different options are available link

Applications

• Food / the amout of health care products increases proliferating as well as handeling of new typs of food that needs to be controlled .
• Forensic Science / products sold on internet ca easily be controlled, Drugs and different types of samples like gases, liquid and solid samples are easily analysed. Available today is also a searchable database (freeware) where EI and DART mass spectra are stored.
• Quality control / Control of different products
• Drug development / Analysis of different samples in different matrixes.
• Chemical analysis / general

Combine with separation

• TLC (thin liquid) / simple separation
• GC (gas chromatography)
• LC (liquid chromatography)
• and a lot of other alternatives