<p>  </p> <p>The development of a novel technique employing the use of a linear quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer coupled to a Nd:YAG laser and a home-built fast reagent-mixing apparatus is detailed and used to detect the short-lived tetrahedral reaction intermediate of the reaction of acetyl chloride with ethanol in microdroplets. Additionally, tandem and high-resolution mass spectrometry is used to characterize potential precursors for solution-processed metal selenide semiconductors in order to determine a synthetic route to sulfur-free thin films. Lastly, Raman MCR (multivariate curve resolution) spectroscopy is used to study the binding-induced conformational change of 1-bromopropane upon binding to α-cyclodextrin as a model system to examine guest conformational changes upon binding to a host molecule.</p>