Rigorous method and apparatuses for the analysis of complex mixtures of organic molecules with an enhanced degree of information extraction

Method of analyzing a primary sample containing a first plurality of organic molecules wherein

• in a first process step a separation of said molecules occurs with respect to a single or plurality of one or both a physical or chemical property producing a second plurality of samples, each containing a pluralities of organic molecules, which is less complex than said first plurality;
• and
• in a second process step subjecting members of said second plurality of secondary samples to a processes wherein said organic molecules contained in said samples from said second plurality are at least in part fragmented into smaller molecular sub-units with lower molecular weight than the original molecules,
• thus deriving from members of said second plurality of samples at least one new, third plurality of samples containing predominantly a larger number of groups of molecules with lower molecular weight compared to those produced after the first step;
• and
• in a third process step subjecting samples from said third plurality of samples to a process whereby said contained organic molecules or fragmentation products thereof
• are released from one or any combination of liquid, liquid crystal, gel-like, or solid phase, and are furthermore simultaneously or subsequently at least partially ionized;
• and whereby subsequently, but optionally, said just produced at least partially ionized molecules or ionized fragmentation products thereof are separated in one or a plurality of dimensions;
• and
• in a fourth process step said ionized molecules are subjected to at least one analytical process, which determines at least one characteristic quantity of said ionized molecules;
• and
• wherein the degree of separation of said of said organic molecules, and of fragmentation products thereof, is sufficiently high to ensure that said samples belonging to said third plurality, contain few enough groups of predominantly similar molecules or fragmentation products thereof,
• such that during said at least one analytical process at the most an acceptable degree of detrimental interference between said groups of essentially similar molecules or fragmentation products thereof still occurs with respect to obtaining said at least one characteristic quantity.