An investigation of the mobility separation of some peptide and protein ions using a new hybrid quadrupole/travelling wave IMS/oa-ToF instrument

Ion mobility coupled with mass spectrometry has evolved into a powerful analytical technique for investigating the gas-phase structures of biomolecules. Here we present the mobility separation of some peptide and protein ions using a new hybrid quadrupole/travelling wave ion mobility separator/orthogonal acceleration time-of-flight instrument. Comparison of the mobility data obtained from the relatively new travelling wave separation device with data obtained using various other mobility separators demonstrate that whilst the mobility characteristics are similar, the new hybrid instrument geometry provides mobility separation without compromising the base sensitivity of the mass spectrometer. This capability facilitates mobility studies of samples at analytically significant levels. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.