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Related Concept Videos

MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry01:19

MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry

Mass spectrometry is a powerful characterization technique that can identify and separate a wide variety of compounds ranging from chemical to biological entities, based on their mass-to-charge ratio (m/z). The instruments that allow this detection, known as mass spectrometers, have three components: an ion source, a mass analyzer, and a detector. These spectrometers differ based on the nature of their ion source and analyzers.Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) is a commonly...
Mass Spectrum: Interpretation01:24

Mass Spectrum: Interpretation

An unknown compound can be established by identifying the molecular ion peak in the mass spectrum. The molecular ion peak is often weak or absent due to the predominance of fragmentation in high-energy electron beams. In such cases, a soft-energy electron beam can be used to scan the spectrum to enhance the intensity of the molecular ion peak. Additionally, chemical ionization, field ionization, and desorption ionization spectra are used to obtain a relatively intense molecular ion peak.To...
Tandem Mass Spectrometry01:21

Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Tandem mass spectrometry is a technique that uses multiple mass analyzers in series to obtain a higher selectivity and reduce chemical noise during analyte detection. Instruments with multiple analyzers separated by an interaction cell enable secondary fragmentation and selected study of the fragment ions.Secondary fragmentations occur in the interaction cell and can be induced by various factors. Fragmentation induced by collision with inert gases, such as N2, Ar, He, etc., is called...
Mass Spectrometers01:16

Mass Spectrometers

This lesson details the instrumentation of a mass spectrometer—a physical instrument to perform mass spectrometry on analyte molecules and record the characteristic mass spectra. This is achieved via three chief functions:
Mass Spectrometry: Overview01:19

Mass Spectrometry: Overview

Mass spectrometry is an analytical technique used to determine the molecular mass and molecular formula of a compound. The basic principle of mass spectrometry is to generate ions from the analyte molecule and measure these ion abundances against their molecular mass. One common type of ionization, known as electron ionization or EI, bombards the analyte molecules in the gas phase with high-energy electron beams. The electron beams displace an electron from the molecule and leave behind a...
Mass Spectrometry: Complex Analysis01:21

Mass Spectrometry: Complex Analysis

Mass spectrometry is an important technique for the identification of pure compounds. However, it has some limitations for the analysis of complex mixtures, often due to excessive fragmentation making the spectrum too complicated to decipher. Mass spectrometry can be combined with suitable separation methods in sequence, forming hyphenated methods, which are useful in the analysis of complex mixtures.
GC–MS is a powerful hyphenated method commonly used in forensics and environmental...

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Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Sample Preparation Strategies for Mass Spectrometry Imaging of 3D Cell Culture Models
08:14

Sample Preparation Strategies for Mass Spectrometry Imaging of 3D Cell Culture Models

Published on: December 5, 2014

Imaging mass spectrometry: viewing the future.

Sarah A Schwartz1, Richard M Caprioli

  • 1David H. Murdock Research Institute, North Carolina Research Campus, Kannapolis, NC, USA.

Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|August 4, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) provides high chemical specificity to analyze diverse molecules in biological samples. This technique enables simultaneous molecular mapping and identification without specific reagents, making it a powerful discovery tool.

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Whole-body Mass Spectrometry Imaging by Infrared Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption Electrospray Ionization (IR-MALDESI)
10:47

Whole-body Mass Spectrometry Imaging by Infrared Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption Electrospray Ionization (IR-MALDESI)

Published on: March 24, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Sample Preparation Strategies for Mass Spectrometry Imaging of 3D Cell Culture Models
08:14

Sample Preparation Strategies for Mass Spectrometry Imaging of 3D Cell Culture Models

Published on: December 5, 2014

Whole-body Mass Spectrometry Imaging by Infrared Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption Electrospray Ionization (IR-MALDESI)
10:47

Whole-body Mass Spectrometry Imaging by Infrared Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption Electrospray Ionization (IR-MALDESI)

Published on: March 24, 2016

Area of Science:

  • Biotechnology
  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Molecular Imaging

Background:

  • Complex molecular mixtures in biological samples require advanced analytical techniques.
  • Existing methods may rely on target-specific reagents, limiting broad applicability.
  • Spatial distribution and molecular identity are crucial for biological understanding.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight the capabilities of imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) as a discovery tool.
  • To emphasize the advantages of IMS in analyzing complex biological samples.
  • To showcase the utility of IMS in molecular localization and identification.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) for molecular analysis.
  • Analyzing a wide mass range of molecules, from metabolites to proteins.
  • Employing MS/MS fragmentation for structural assessment and identification.

Main Results:

  • IMS allows concurrent analysis of diverse molecular species with high chemical specificity.
  • Simultaneous localization, detection of post-translational modifications, and relative quantification are achievable.
  • IMS-generated images are derived from direct molecular measurements, avoiding reagent dependency.

Conclusions:

  • IMS is an effective tool for assessing complex molecular mixtures in cells and tissues.
  • The combination of spatial mapping, mass accuracy, and chemical specificity makes IMS a valuable discovery platform.
  • IMS facilitates accurate molecular identification through techniques like MS/MS fragmentation.