Corona discharge in charge reduction electrospray mass spectrometry

Anal Chem. 2000 Nov 1;72(21):5158-61. doi: 10.1021/ac000559h.

Abstract

Corona discharge is applied to charge reduction electrospray mass spectrometry for the analysis of complex mixtures of biological molecules. Recent work has described a method of charge reduction (reducing the charge states of analyte ions generated by the electrospray process) employing the radioactive isotope 210Po to produce neutralizing species. A variation to this approach is presented, in which charge neutralization is mediated by ions produced in a corona discharge. Varying the corona discharge voltage controls the current and the degree of charge reduction, providing predominantly singly charged ions that are detected by a commercial electrospray time-of-flight mass spectrometer. This technique provides charge reduction for the simplification of ESI spectra, without need for any radioactive material.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Cytochrome c Group / chemistry
  • Mass Spectrometry
  • Oligonucleotides / chemistry
  • Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization*

Substances

  • Cytochrome c Group
  • Oligonucleotides