Bioinformatics: Mass Spectrometry

Mass Spectrometry: Introduction

The Mass spectrometer has been a vital part of the analysis of ultra small molecules in measuring their mass. These devices allow for the detection of new and known compounds, and to indicate the possible properties of molecules. The measurement of an molecule is often carried out in terms of Dalton's or molecular weight. A Dalton is 1` atomic mass unit, a dimensionless number. A protein of 10,000MW will equal 10 kilo Daltons or 10,000 Daltons. A mass spectrometer does not actually measure the molecular mass directly, but rather the ratio of the mass (m) of a charged particle (ion) to its charge, m.z. Mass spectrometry provides valuable information to a wide range of professionals: physicians, astonomers, and biologists, to name a few.