SEQUENTIAL MASS-SPECTROMETRY AND MSN ANALYSES OF COMBINATORIAL LIBRARIES BY USING AUTOMATED MATRIX-ASSISTED-LASER-DESORPTION IONIZATION FOURIER-TRANSFORM MASS-SPECTROMETRY/

This note demonstrates that accurate mass and MS/MS data can be rapidl y and easily obtained using an automated matrix-assisted laser desorpt ion/ionization Fourier transform MS procedure far multiple samples. Mu ltiple ionization techniques were used simultaneously in order to intr oduce sample and mass reference ions into the Fourier transform ion cy clotron resonance cell. In this way 20 samples from a combinatorial li brary were analyzed automatically in one hour, with RMS errors of less than 5 ppm for the masses of both parent and fragment ions. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.