MALDI | 合法醫療器材資訊網

Mass spectrometry is an analytical technique in which samples are ionized into charged molecules and ratio of their mass-to-charge (m/z) can be measured. In MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, the ion source is matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI), and the mass analyzer is time-of-flight (TOF) analyzer.

MALDI

MALDI is a soft ionization that involves a laser striking a matrix of small molecules to make the analyte molecules into the gas phase without fragmenting or decomposing them. Some biomolecules are too large and can decompose when heated, and traditional techniques will fragment or destroy macromolecules. MALDI is appropriate to analyze biomolecules like peptides, lipids, saccharides, or other organic macromolecules.

Figure 1. Ionization of analytes by MALDI

In Figure 1, the analyte is embedded in a very large exce...