Atmospheric Pressure Free Liquid Infrared MALDI Mass Spectrometry: Toward a combined ESI/MALDI-Liquid Chromatography Interface

作者:Rapp Erdmann*; Charvat Ales; Beinsen Alexander; Plessmann Uwe; Reichl Udo; Seidel Morgenstern Andreas; Urlaub Henning; Abel Bernd
来源:Analytical Chemistry, 2009, 81(1): 443-452.
DOI:10.1021/ac801863p

摘要

A new atmospheric pressure (AP)-MALDI-type interface has been developed based on a free liquid (FL) microbeam/microdroplets and a mid-infrared optical parametric oscillator (mid-IR OPO). The device is integrated into a standard on-line nanoESI interface. The generation of molecular ions in the gas phase is believed to be the result of a fast (explosive) laser-induced evaporative dispersion (not desorption) of the microbeam into statistically charged nanodroplets. Only the lowest charge states appear in significant abundance in this type of experiment. Mass spectra of some common peptides have been acquired in positive ion mode, and the limit-of-detection of this first prototype (liquid microbeam setup) was evaluated to be 17 fmol per second. To improve the duty cycle and to reduce the sample consumption, a droplet-on-demand system was implemented (generating 100 pL droplets). With this setup, about 20 attomole of bradykinin were sufficient to achieve a signal-to-noise ratio better than five. This setup can be operated at flow rates down to 100 nL/min and represents a liquid MALDI alternative to the nanoESI. Our particular interest was the application of the developed ion source for on-line coupling of liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry. ne flow rates (> 100 mu L/min), required for stable operation of the ion source in continuous liquid microbeam mode, matches perfectly the flow rate range of microHPLC. Therefore, online LC/MS experiments have been realized, employing a microbore C18 reversed-phase column to separate an artificial peptide mixture and tryptic peptides of bovine serum albumin (performing a peptide mass fingerprint). In the latter case, sequence coverage of more than 90% has been achieved.

  • 出版日期2009-1-1