Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry of Fmoc-amino acids linked to solid supports through ionic interactions

Abstract

The TOF-SIMS (time-of-flight- secondary ion mass spectrometry) spectra of Fmoc-amino acids linked to solid supports through ionic interactions have been studied to examine if easy desorption of preformed ions from the surface occurred. Preliminary results indicated that the structure of the polymer affected the nature of the recovered ions. However, in the case of widely used polystyrene based supports, characteristic ions of the amino acids were clearly observed with noticeable abundances. Moreover, an analytical criterion to differentiate Fmoc-amino acids linked to various solid supports through either covalent or ionic bonds was established. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.