High Sensitivity ESI MS and MALDI MS

Abstract

The increase in the use of electro spray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI MS) and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI MS) in the biomedical sciences has fueled an intense interest in analyzing smaller and smaller amounts of sample. Increases in sensitivity have allowed the analysis of samples in the low femtomole to subattomole range. This has been accomplished primarily by changes in the capillary size fsr ESI MS and in sample deposition methods for MALDI MS.