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337 nm Matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization of single aerosol particles
Author(s) -
He Lin,
Murray Kermit K.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of mass spectrometry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.475
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1096-9888
pISSN - 1076-5174
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1096-9888(199909)34:9<909::aid-jms849>3.0.co;2-a
Subject(s) - chemistry , reflectron , mass spectrometry , mass spectrum , analytical chemistry (journal) , ionization , ion source , particle (ecology) , laser , time of flight mass spectrometry , ion , chromatography , optics , oceanography , physics , organic chemistry , geology
Matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectra were obtained from single particles injected directly into a time‐of‐flight mass spectrometer. Aerosol particles were generated at atmospheric pressure using a piezoelectric single‐particle generator or a pneumatic nebulizer and introduced into the mass spectrometer through a series of narrow‐bore tubes. Particles were detected by light scattering that was used to trigger a 337 nm pulsed nitrogen laser and the ions produced by laser desorption were mass separated in a two‐stage reflectron time‐of‐flight mass spectrometer. MALDI mass spectra of single particles containing bradykinin, angiotensin II, gramicidin S, vitamin B 12 or gramicidin D were obtained at mass resolutions greater than 400 FWHM. For the piezoelectric particle generator, the efficiency of particle delivery was estimated to be ∼0.02%, and 50 pmol of sample were consumed for each mass spectrum. For the pneumatic nebulizer, mass spectra could be obtained from single particles containing less than 100 amol of analyte, although the sample consumption for a typical mass spectrum was over 400 pmol. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.