title: Molecular weight determination of megadalton DNA electrospray ions using charge detection time-of-flight mass spectrometry.
abstract: We present results obtained with a novel mass spectrometer capable of determining the mass of multiply charged electrospray ions generated from samples of macromolecules in the megadalton (MDa) size range. The instrument utilizes a sensitive amplifier which can detect the charge on a single ion as it passes through a tube detector. A velocity measurement of an ion with known electrostatic energy provides the ion's mass-to-charge ratio. Simultaneous detection of the ion charge permits a mass assignment to be made for each ion. Electrospray ions of DNA and polymer molecules with masses greater than 1 x 10(6) Da and charge numbers (z) in excess of 425 e(-) are readily detected in this mass spectrometer. The weights of small particles were also measured. The on-axis single-ion detection configuration provides a duty cycle of nearly 100% and extends the practical application of electrospray mass spectrometry to the analysis of very large molecules with relatively inexpensive instrumentation.
authors.affiliation: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Fuerstenau
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Benner
mesh_terms: D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis*; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D008970:Molecular Weight; D010957:Plasmids / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D004247:DNA