Infrared multiphoton dissociation

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD) is a technique used in mass spectrometry to fragment molecules in the gas phase usually for structural analysis of the original (parent) molecule. An infrared laser is directed through a window into the vacuum of the mass spectrometer where the ions are. The mechanism of fragmentation involves the absorption by a given ion of multiple infrared photons. The parent ion becomes excited into more energetic vibrational states until a bond(s) is broken resulting in gas phase fragments of the parent ion.

IRMPD is most often used in Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry.

[edit] See also

• Infrared spectroscopy

• Blackbody infrared radiative dissociation

• Electron capture dissociation

• Collision-induced dissociation is another, more common, method to fragment gas phase ions.

[edit] References

• Little, D. P.; Speir, J. P.; Senko, M. W.; O'Connor, P. B.; McLafferty, F. W., Infrared Multiphoton Dissociation of Large Multiply Charged Ions for Biomolecule Sequencing. Anal Chem 1994, 66, 2809-2815.