MATRIX-ASSISTED LASER-DESORPTION MASS-SPECTROMETRY ON A MAGNETIC-SECTOR INSTRUMENT FITTED WITH AN ARRAY DETECTOR

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) has been carried o ut on a high performance double-focusing mass spectrometer fitted with an integrating focal plane array detector. High sensitivity (low femt omole detection) was obtained with peptides such as renin substrate. U nderivatized complex oligosaccharides were also detectable at the 200 fmol level. The advantages of the array detector for improved resoluti on (5000 full width at half maximum) and the benefits in complex oligo saccharide and glycolipid analyses relative to MALDI time-of-flight (T OF) systems are shown. This improved resolution enabled ambiguities fr om the TOF data to be interpreted.