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UV laser matrix desorption/ionization mass spectrometry of proteins in the 100 000 dalton range

1989; Elsevier BV; Volume: 92; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/0168-1176(89)83030-7

1873-2801

Michael Karas, U. Bahr, Franz Hillenkamp,

Atomic and Molecular Physics

Ultraviolet laser desorption/ionization out of an absorbing matrix has been successfully used to generate molecular ions of proteins in the mass range up to 120 000 dalton. The actual upper mass limit of generated ions is most probably set by ineffective ion detection rather than the ion formation process. Molecular weight determination with a time-of-flight mass spectrometer is facilitated by intense signals of multiply charged and cluster molecular ions. No fragment ions were observed in the mass range above 1000 dalton. Cluster ions were observed up to a mass of 200 000 dalton. The accuracy of mass determination so far is better than 0.5%; 20–100 ng of protein were used for preparation, and less than 1 pg was consumed for a complete mass spectrum. Because of the ease of preparation and the measuring time of just a few minutes this technique should become a valuable tool for molecular weight determination of biopolymers.