Mass Spectrometric Instrumentation

This chapter describes the basic principles of mass spectrometry to allow a better assessment of the MALDI-technique. The typical procedure in mass spectrometry is as follows. After introducing the sample into the mass spectrometer, in the first step ions characteristic for the sample under investigation have to be created, i.e., an ion source is needed. Then the ions have to be separated according to their mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) which is the task of the (mass) analyzer. In the end the separated ions have to be detected and the signal displayed in a convenient form. Thus a mass spectrometer consists of the building blocks shown in Fig. 2.1.