C60 Fluorine Derivative as Novel Matrix for Small Molecule Analysis by MALDI-TOF MS

Abstract

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is an efficient tool for large molecule analysis including proteins, carbohydrates, polymers etc., with the advantages of high sensitivity, high throughput and high speed. However, the traditional matrices, such as α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (CHCA) and 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB), fail to detect the compounds with molecular weight below 500 Da due to the interference from matrix background. In this paper, we used C60 fluorine derivative as matrix for small molecule analysis by MALDI-TOF MS. With the successful detection of various small molecules from saccharides, plant extracts, fatty acids, amino acids to pesticides, C60 derivative is reported here for the first time as a novel and effective MALDI matrix for small molecule analysis in metabolism and compound characterization areas.