Abstract

Laser desorption mass spectroscopy has been used to characterize both modern and ~ 150-year-old daguerreotypes. Such investigations are a necessary prelude to attempts to clean them of tarnish and other contaminants by laser ablation of the surface layers. Both positive- and negative-ion time-of-flight spectra were obtained following YAG laser ablation/desorption at 1064, 532, and 355 nm. Major peaks obtained from several daguerreotypes reveal expected elements from the substrate (Ag, Cu) as well as the developing (Hg) and gilding (Au) processes. Silver clusters (Ag_n) may reflect surface desorption of molecules or, alternatively, aggregates formed in the ejection process. Silver sulfide molecules observed from old daguerreotypes are the signature of the tarnishing process.

Multielemental analysis of prehistoric animal teeth by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Michaela Galiová, Jozef Kaiser, Francisco J. Fortes, Karel Novotný, Radomír Malina, Lubomír Prokeš, Aleš Hrdlička, Tomáš Vaculovič, Miriam Nývltová Fišáková, Jiří Svoboda, Viktor Kanický, and Javier J. Laserna
Appl. Opt. 49(13) C191-C199 (2010)

Micro- and nanoparticle generation during nanosecond laser ablation: correlation between mass and optical emissions

Santiago Palanco, Salvatore Marino, M. Gabás, Shanti Bijani, Luis Ayala, and José R. Ramos-Barrado
Opt. Express 22(4) 3991-3999 (2014)

Low-power resonant laser ablation of copper

C. G. Gill, T. M. Allen, J. E. Anderson, T. N. Taylor, P. B. Kelly, and N. S. Nogar
Appl. Opt. 35(12) 2069-2082 (1996)

Assemblies of gold nanorods for efficient SALDI mass spectrometry

Masanori Fujii, Naotoshi Nakashima, and Yasuro Niidome
Opt. Mater. Express 6(4) 1376-1383 (2016)

Surface profiling of lithium with a laser-desorption mass-spectrometer microprobe

Grant A. Bickel and Harry M. Adams
Appl. Opt. 38(9) 1488-1493 (1999)