When a pulse of ions is injected into a buffer gas under the influence of a weak electric field, different components separate based on differences in the mobilities of the ions through the gas.  This separation is the basis of the analytical technique known as ion mobility spectrometry (IMS), which used widely for selective detection of trace analytes such as explosives.  The advent of biological ion sources such as electrospray ionization makes it possible to extend this technique for separation of biological mixtures.  An interesting issue that arises in the case of macromolecular ions is the possibility of separating different ion conformations.  During the last 15 years, ion mobility techniques have been combined with ion trapping techniques, and time of flight (TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) to create a very high-throughput means of analyzing complex biological mixtures.  This talk with focus on how understanding the fundamental properties of biomolecular ions has led to the development of high-throughput IMS/MS techniques.  The talk will explore how ion structures change upon solvent removal, and how gentle energizing collisions can be introduced as a means of altering structures.  The ability to alter structures leads to the development of higher order IMS/IMS/MS separation methods.

Developing next generation ion mobility/time-of-flight mass spectrometry techniques for analysis of complex biological mixtures

244th National Meeting (2012)

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