Mass Spectrometry Basics

This page is designed to introduce the topic of mass spectrometry. The information is not novel and can be found in most up-to-date mass spectrometry text books. The way that the information is presented creates a "flow" that follows from recieving a sample and end at interpreting the mass spectral data found.

Flow Topics

Sample Preparation - We have protein now what?

• Gel Electrophoresis - General Theory
• Contaminants - Skin and Other Things to Avoid
• Selecting Samples - The Usual Suspects
• Protein/Peptide Handling - Does and Don'ts
• Digests- Tryptic and others

Ionization - The types and general theory

• EI - Electron Impact Ionization
• Chemical Ionization
• ESI - Electrospray Ionization
• MALDI - Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption Ionization
• TSP - Thermospray Ionization
• FAB Fast Atom Bombardment Ionization

MS- The different instruments and general theory

• Survey Scans - Getting Started
• Liquid Chromotography MS - General Theory
• QTOF Quadrapole Time of Flight
• TOF/TOF - Time of Flight/Time of Flight MS
• Ion Trap - Ion Trap
• FTMS - Fourier Tranform MS

Fragmentation - The different types and general theory

• CID - Collission-induced Decomposition
• ECD - Electron Capture Dissociation
• SORI - Sustained Off-resonance Irradiation
• IRMPD - Infared Multiphoton Dissociation

MS again - Tandem Mass Spectrometry Instruments and Theory

• MS/MS - General Theory

Data Acquisition - Parameters and intesities

• Parameters - what is detected?
• Quantification - how much is detected?

Interpretation- The fruit of your labour

• Spectra - The good, the bad and the ugly
• PTM - Post translational modications
• Protein ID - For known protein
• De Novo - Getting an Amino Acid Sequence
• Tools - Tools that help