title: Thin gold film-assisted laser desorption/ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry of biomolecules.
abstract: A new thin gold film-assisted (TGFA) laser desorption/ionization (LDI) technique has been combined with Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) high-resolution mass analysis. A thermally labile organic sample is coated onto a thin gold film deposited on a glass plate and desorbed and ionized by Nd:YAG laser irradiation. The wavelength for maximum light absorption may be tuned by varying the thickness of the metal film; e.g., a 10-nm-thick gold film absorbs maximally near the Nd:YAG fundamental wavelength (1064 nm). A key advantage of the method is the stability of the gold film, which facilitates deposition of samples from any of a variety of solvent systems. Coupled with recently introduced quadrupolar excitation and collisional cooling for ion axialization, TGFA-LDI FT-ICR mass spectra provide high sensitivity (e.g., 100-fmol single-shot detection limit and mass resolving power, m/delta m approximately 113,000, for (M+K)+ ions from gramicidin S at m/z 1180).
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Ohio State University, Columbus 43210.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Wahl
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: T D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Marshall
mesh_terms: D002475:Cellobiose / Q000032:analysis; D017357:Cyclotrons; D005583:Fourier Analysis; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry; D006096:Gramicidin / Q000032:analysis*; D007834:Lasers; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D009705:Nucleosides / Q000032:analysis; D009841:Oligonucleotides / Q000032:analysis; D010455:Peptides / Q000032:analysis; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D009705:Nucleosides; D009841:Oligonucleotides; D010455:Peptides; D010743:Phospholipids; D006096:Gramicidin; D002475:Cellobiose; D006046:Gold