mass spectrometry and biomedical research

Hello ehd123,

I found a few articles that were locked. These are the URLs, hopefully you can gain access to them:

http://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783319060675
http://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/si/297826/cfp/

WikiPedia also has some enticing information:

Mass spectrometry has both qualitative and quantitative uses. These include identifying unknown compounds, determining the isotopic composition of elements in a molecule, and determining the structure of a compound by observing its fragmentation. Other uses include quantifying the amount of a compound in a sample or studying the fundamentals of gas phase ion chemistry (the chemistry of ions and neutrals in a vacuum). MS is now in very common use in analytical laboratories that study physical, chemical, or biological properties of a great variety of compounds.

As an analytical technique it possesses distinct advantages such as: Increased sensitivity over most other analytical techniques because the analyzer, as a mass-charge filter, reduces background interference, Excellent specificity from characteristic fragmentation patterns to identify unknowns or confirm the presence of suspected compounds, Information about molecular weight, Information about the isotopic abundance of elements, Temporally resolved chemical data.

A few of the disadvantages of the method is that often fails to distinguish between optical and geometrical isomers and the positions of substituent in o-, m- and p- positions in an aromatic ring. Also, its scope is limited in identifying hydrocarbons that produce similar fragmented ions.

Thank you very much, bioman. Will try to access them as soon as possible.
Just to clarify, I could use mass spec to identify the compounds I may find in say serum or saliva right? I just need to use the proper antibody if I suspect a protein to be found?
Or  does it give me the entire range of compounds?

It shows the molecular weight, the percentage of what type of elements that exist in the molecule.

Also, I found a good animation

Thank you so much. Very helpful