The Routine Analyses Lab has ESI, MALDI and GC/MS technology.

     MALDI ionization is a solid-phase ionization method and uses a matrix of organic aromatic acid dissolved in a mixture of water and acetonitrile or methanol. This matrix is then mixed with the analyte solution and deposited on a metal plate that is used in the mass spectrometer. When dried, the matrix/analyte mixture forms a crystalline lattice on the surface of the metal plate with the analyte molecules imbedded within the lattice. When the laser is fired into this lattice, the organic acid molecules absorb the energy, ablate from the surface and carry the analyte into the gas phase as a charged ion.

     ESI generates ions from solutions and is the primary method for linking liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry. The solvated analyte is ionized by spraying the solution through a needle at high voltage. This high voltage applied to the spray generates charged droplets that progressively become smaller through evaporation. When the droplets become too small to contain the charged molecules, these ions are ejected into the gas phase and can be analyzed by the mass spectrometer.

     GC/MS is the combination of high-resolution capillary gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) is still the most widely used mass spectrometry technology. GC/MS using an electron ionization source allows for the analyses of small, thermally stable, nonpolar molecules - such as fatty acids.