[Plasma-desorption mass spectrometry of natural compounds. 1. Basic properties of the method and its use for analyzing proteins and peptides]

Applications of plasma desorption mass spectrometry (PD MS) to the analysis of natural substances are reviewed with the special emphasis on its use in peptide and protein chemistry (Part I). PD MS of nucleotides, carbohydrates, lipids, and pigments will be reviewed in Part II (see the following issue of this journal). The review covers the literature from 1982 to 1994.