Cover Feature: Amorphous Conjugated Polymers as Efficient Dual‐Mode MALDI Matrices for Low‐Molecular‐Weight Analytes (ChemPlusChem 9/2019)

Abstract

The cover feature shows that amorphous polymer inks allow the analysis of low‐molecular‐weight compounds in both positive and negative modes, even though MALDI matrices are traditionally highly crystalline. The amorphous polymers perform better than a related semicrystalline system, suggesting that analyte incorporation takes place in the amorphous phase and therefore significantly broadening matrix design rules. More details can be found in the Full Paper by F. Lissel and co‐workers on page 1338 in Issue 9, 2019 (DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201900203).

Unravel the Local Complexity of Biological Environments by MALDI Mass Spectrometry Imaging

“…Moreover, the crystal size of the matrix needs to be considered in relation to the diameter of the laser beam when high-spatial-resolution MSI is targeted. The use of new MALDI matrices with amorphous morphology such as polymer matrix [19] and maleic anhydride proton sponge [20] represents a promising strategy to face the crystal size limitations of classical matrices. Finally, the compounds that have been imaged need to be identified by accurate mass and/or molecular fragmentations.…”