An Introduction to Mass Spectrometry

Mass spectrometers consist of three essential parts: an ionization source, a mass analyzer and an ion detector. The first, an ionization source, is a device to convert molecules into gas-phase ions. Two powerful ionization techniques are in common use. The first, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) creates ions by excitation of molecules isolated from the energy of the laser by an energy absorbing matrix. The laser energy strikes the crystalline matrix to cause rapid excitation of the matrix and the subsequent ejection of matrix and analyte ions into the gas-phase.

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