Abstract
Most mass analysis relies on "nominal" mass accuracy (i.e., to within 1 Da).  However, an increasing number of applications are based on much more accurate mass measurement.  The Figure shows that mass spectrometric resolution (defined here as the spacing between resolved peaks) does not increase monotonically with increasing spectrometer resolving power for electrosprayed biomolecules.
Rather, resolution improves by a series of steps.  First, one must resolve different charge states.  No additional peaks appear until adducts are resolved, then not again until isotopic peaks are resolved (unit mass resolution), and finally when isotopic "fine structure" (i.e., different elemental compositions of same nominal mass) is resolved.  The easiest way to apprehend the advantages of Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) is that it effectively extends the onset of each "plateau" in Figure 1 to ~100 times higher mass than with any other mass analyzer.

Mixtures/Elemental Compositions.  High mass resolving power (m/{delta}m_50% > 50,000 over a wide mass range) offers two major advantages.  First, it becomes possible to separate complex mixtures without prior chromatographic or gel separation.  Second, elemental composition may be determined from accurate (to ~1 ppm) mass measurement alone for unknown molecules up to ~300 Da (or to ~ 1000 Da if isotopically enriched molecules are available.  Examples from environmental, petrochemical, analytical, and biological problems will be presented, including some new world records for mass resolution.

Acknowledgments.  Work supported by NSF (CHE-99-09502), NIH (GM-31683), Florida State University, and the National High Magnetic Field Lab in Tallahassee, Florida.
 

Background
Alan Marshall was born in Ohio, and grew up in San Diego. He received his B.A. from Northwestern University and Ph.D. from Stanford University under John Baldeschwieler. He joined the faculty of the University of British Columbia in 1969, moving to The Ohio State University in 1980 and to Florida State University in 1993. Alan is currently Kasha Professor of Chemistry at FSU and directs the Ion Cyclotron Resonance Program at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Tallahassee. Prof. Marshall's research concentrates on development of new techniques and applications of Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry, a technique for which he is co-inventor. Alan has produced 3 books, 3 patents, and 310 refereed journal papers and has presented ~875 talks/posters at institutions and conferences. He edits or is an editorial board member of six journals. He is a Fellow of AAAS and Fellow of the American Physical Society, and has received two American Chemical Society national awards, the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh Maurice F. Hasler Award, and awards from the American and International mass spectrometry societies.

For more information, see the FSU faculty web page: http://www.chem.fsu.edu/faculty/marshall.htm
 

Meeting details

Date:	Thursday	January 25, 2001
Time:	6:00 pm	Social hour, registration (no-host cocktails)
	7:00 pm	Dinner
	8:15 pm	Presentation (free, no reservations required)
Dinner:	Choice of:	Buffet including Pakora, Aloo Gobi, Malai Koftha, Chicken Tika Malsa, Lamb Korma (the first three items are meatless)
	includes	various side dishes (Nan, Rice, Gulab Jam), desert, coffee, etc.
Cost:	$25.00	BAMS members.  Reservations required by noon Friday 1/19/01
	$35.00	Non-members.  Reservations required by noon Friday 1/19/01
	$15.00	Students only.  Reservations required by noon Friday 1/19/01

Note: 2001 dues need to be paid to obtain member price.  Dues ($20) may be paid at the meeting
 

Maps & directions
Swagat Indian Cuisine
2700 West El Camino Real
Mountain View, CA 94040
650-948-7727

(Yahoo map is wrong.)

Directions: The restaurant is just North of the intersection of El Camino and San Antonio.

From 101 take the San Antonio exit and head south to El Camino. Turn right on El Camino. The restaurant will be on your right.

From 280 traveling South take Page Mill Rd. to El Camino. Turn right on El Camion and look for the restaurant on your left. If you reach San Antonio, make a U-turn.

From 280 traveling North take El Monte Ave. to El Camino. Turn left on El Camino and look for the restaurant after crossing San Antonio.
 
 

Want to be a judge?  The Intel International Science & Engineering Fair 2001 needs you! See the call for judges and/or their web site.

Other meeting notices received by BAMS:
2nd Workshop on Harsh-Environment Mass Spectrometry, 3/18/2001 (http://www.marine.usf.edu/mass_spec/HEMSconf.htm)
 

The San Francisco Bay Area Mass Spectrometry discussion group was formed in 1980 to provide a regular gathering for people interested in mass spectrometry and allied topics. BAMS currently has a membership of about 280 individual and 20 corporate members, and meets 8-10 times per year for a midweek dinner and lecture.  Meetings attract between 30 and 90 people, and are held at a restaurant or hotel in the bay area convenient for our speaker.  We usually convene at 6:00pm for cocktails, dinner at 7:00pm, and lecture at 8:15pm.
 

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As a service to our members, we post Employment postings.

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BAMS has been fortunate to have had many excellent speakers in our short history.
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Last update: 1/18/01.