Subnanogram detection of t-butyldimethylsilyl fatty acid esters by mass fragmentography

The mass spectra of t-butyldimethylsilyl fatty acid esters all display a pronounced (M-C4H9)+ ion. The proportion of the total ionization carried by this fragment, particularly for saturated and mono-, di-, and tri-unsaturated acid derivatives, facilitates their qualitative analysis at the subanogram level by mass fragmentography.