Mass spectrometry peptide fragmentation nomenclature

Table 5.5 Nomenclature of the ions formed in the mass spectral fragmentation of polypeptides. From Chapman, J. R. (Ed.), Protein and Peptide Analysis by Mass Spectrometry, Methods in Molecular Biology, Vol. 61, 1996. Reproduced by permission of Humana Press, Inc. 

No tandem MS experiment can be successful if the precursor ions fail to fragment (at the right time and place). The ion activation step is crucial to the experiment and ultimately defines what types of products result. Hence, the ion activation method that is appropriate for a specific application depends on the MS instrument configuration as well as on the analyzed compounds and the structural information that is wanted. Various, more or less complementary, ion activation methods have been developed during the history of tandem MS. Below we give brief descriptions of several of these approaches. A more detailed description of peptide fragmentation mles and nomenclature is provided in Chapter 2. An excellent review of ion activation methods for tandem mass spectrometry is written by Sleno and Volmer, see Reference 12, and for a more detailed review on slow heating methods in tandem MS, see Reference 13. 

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