Leveraging the strengths of atomic spectroscopy in the biosciences: a new type of mass spectrometer for metallomic studies

Full text: The analytical challenges of metallomics require new approaches that exploit the strengths of atomic spectroscopy for biochemical analyzes. Here, a unique time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOFMS) is described which employs inductively-coupled plasma and electrospray ionization sources simultaneously and in parallel. Ions are produced by each independent ionization source from a single sample and are analyzed by a common TOFMS, providing complete elemental and molecular mass spectral information in a single step. Coupling this system to chromatographic separations is particularly advantageous, as run-to-run variations are eliminated, and unknown or unexpected components can be directly identified. (author)