
MALDI-TOF MS Technology Overview
Voyager
™
Biospectrometry
™
Workstation User’s Guide 1-7
1
1.3 MALDI-TOF MS
Technology Overview
Mass
spectrometry
Mass spectrometry measures the mass of molecules by
measuring the mass-to-charge ratio (
m/z
). Mass is a
molecular attribute that can help identify or confirm the identity
of a molecule.
Molecular weight measurements by mass spectrometry are
based upon the production, separation, and detection of
molecular ions. A typical mass spectrometer includes:
• Ion source—Ionizes sample and generates gas phase
ions
• Analyzer—Separates ions according to individual
mass-to-charge ratios
• Detector—Detects and amplifies ions
• Data system—Converts detection of ions into a readable
or graphic display
Advantages of mass spectrometry technology include:
• Can directly measure an absolute physical constant
• Provides highly sensitive detection
• Can analyze mixtures and different classes of
biopolymers, including peptides, oligonucleotides, and
oligosaccharides
MALDI-TOF mass
spectrometry
The Voyager Biospectrometry Workstations are MALDI-TOF
mass spectrometry systems:
• MALDI—Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization
sample ionization mechanism
• TOF—Time-of-Flight analysis and detection mechanism
Kommentare zu diesen Handbüchern