A method of performing Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry, comprising: Providing a specimen on a specimen holder; Using an ion beam to irradiate a region of a surface of said specimen, thereby producing ablated specimen material; Collecting ionized constituents of said ablated material in a mass analyzer, and sorting them according to species, further comprising: Providing a catalytic gas proximal said region of the specimen surface during said irradiation, said gas comprising a component selected from the group comprising perfluoroalkanes and their isomers.