6. Conclusion

The addition of a laser to a mass spectrometer brings a new dimension to mass spectrometry. A single photon allows for the delivery of a localized and controlled amount of energy to the ion. To date, our work has focused on peptides and proteins. While the natural chromophores of proteins have been used, it is also possible to graft a chromophore to select the deposition site and the energy range used. The results obtained with crystal violet demonstrate the potential of this approach for the identification or characterization of small organic molecules.

From an analytical standpoint, photonic activation enables the generation of specific fragments; in particular, it can be used to generate radical ions. The activation of these radical ions leads to efficient fragmentation of the molecular ion’s backbone while preserving weaker bonds. Areas of application include,...