title: Mass Spectral Library Quality Assurance by Inter-Library Comparison.
abstract: A method to discover and correct errors in mass spectral libraries is described. Comparing across a set of highly curated reference libraries compounds that have the same chemical structure quickly identifies entries that are outliers. In cases where three or more entries for the same compound are compared, the outlier as determined by visual inspection was almost always found to contain the error. These errors were either in the spectrum itself or in the chemical descriptors that accompanied it. The method is demonstrated on finding errors in compounds of forensic interest in the NIST/EPA/NIH Mass Spectral Library. The target list of compounds checked was the Scientific Working Group for the Analysis of Seized Drugs (SWGDRUG) mass spectral library. Some examples of errors found are described. A checklist of errors that curators should look for when performing inter-library comparisons is provided. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.
authors.affiliation: Mass Spectrometry Data Center, Biomolecular Measurement Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899-8362, USA. william.wallace@nist.gov.
authors.forename: William E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Wallace
authors.affiliation: Mass Spectrometry Data Center, Biomolecular Measurement Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899-8362, USA.
authors.forename: Weihua
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: Mass Spectrometry Data Center, Biomolecular Measurement Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899-8362, USA.
authors.forename: Dmitrii V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Tchekhovskoi
authors.affiliation: Bioanalytical Science Group, Biomolecular Measurement Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899-8314, USA.
authors.forename: Karen W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Phinney
authors.affiliation: Mass Spectrometry Data Center, Biomolecular Measurement Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899-8362, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Stein
keywords: Cross-check; Curation; Data validation; Electron ionization mass spectrometry; Quality control; Standard reference data