• Carbon Dating of Cave Art - Mass Spectrometry dates prehistoric cave paintings in southern France...


• On the Nose - MS shows mice prefer to mate with partners that express different MHC genes...


• Special Delivery - A mass spectrometer is delivered to the international space station...


• Molecular Hitchhiking on a Comet - Mass spectrometry shows molecules can survive an impact with Earth...


• Mass Spectrometry Unearths Mexico's Maize - Accelerator MS provides evidence of early agriculture in Mexico...


• Mass of the Universe -Scientists may finally have a reliable estimate of the mass of the universe...


• Airport Security - Ion mobility mass spectrometry to detect narcotics at airports...


• MS at the Olympics - Mass spectrometry keeps the athletes honest...


• more past features...

• Ion Formula by Mol. Weight
• Isotope Pattern Calculator
• Mass Loss Calculator
• Periodic e-Table

• EMBL Peptide Search - protein ID from peptide mass and sequence data
• FindMod - post-translational modifications by peptide mass
• GlycanMass - oligosaccharide mass from structure
• GlycoMod - oligosaccharide structures from mass
• GlycoSuiteDB - search database with oligosaccharide mass
• Javascript Protein Digest - peptide digest masses
• Javascipt Fragment Ion Generator for peptides
• Mascot Search - peptide mass and sequence tools
• Mowse - protein identification from peptide MS data
• Protein Prospector - mass spectra interpretation tools
• PROWL - identification of proteins from MS data

Nobel Achievement

John Fenn and Koichi Tanaka have received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Together with Kurt Wuthrich from Switzerland, the scientists shared the 2002 prize for their contributions to the characterization of biological macromolecules using mass spectrometry (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR).

Fenn and co-workers first published the successful ionization of large synthetic polymers (PEGs), and subsequently proteins, using the electrospray ionization (ESI) technique in the late 1980's while working at Yale University in the United States. An important feature of this technique was the transfer of analytes directly from solution to the gas phase with high charge states. The multiple-charging phenomenon enables large macromolecules to be detected in mass spectrometers of modest mass-to-charge ratio range. The solution-based ionization method, like earlier Thermospray and other liquid inlet sources, enables molecules to be introduced directly into a mass spectrometer from chromatographic and electrophoretic separation systems.

Fenns work built on that of Malcolm Dole from Northwestern University in the late 1960's who constructed and early predecessor of the ESI ion source. Fenn added a counter-current dry gas to assist with the drying of the electrosprayed droplets that greatly assisted in the formation and detection of ions.

Dr. Tanaka from Shimadzu published work on the development of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization using a finely divided metal powder in a liquid matrix. This work was performed concurrently with that of Franz Hillenkamp and Michael Karas who employed an organic matrix on a solid surface more commonly used today.

Fenn and Tanaka join a small group of scientists who have received a Nobel Prize for mass spectrometry (see the i-mass guides).

To visit the official award page of the Nobel web site - click here

www.i-mass.com congratulates the scientists on this well-deserved Nobel achievement!

 

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