Pushing the mass limit for intact launch and photoionization of large neutral biopolymers
- Author(s)
- Jonas Schätti, Philipp Rieser, Ugur Sezer, Georg Richter, Philipp Geyer, Gustavo G. Rondina, Daniel Häussinger, Marcel Mayor, Armin Shayeghi, Valentin Köhler, Markus Arndt
- Abstract
Since their first discovery by Louis Dunoyer and Otto Stern, molecular beams have conquered research and technology. However, it has remained an outstanding challenge to isolate and photoionize beams of massive neutral polypeptides. Here we show that femtosecond desorption from a matrix-free sample in high vacuum can produce biomolecular beams at least 25 times more efficiently than nanosecond techniques. While it has also been difficult to photoionize large biomolecules, we find that tailored structures with an abundant exposure of tryptophan residues at their surface can be ionized by vacuum ultraviolet light. The combination of these desorption and ionization techniques allows us to observe molecular beams of neutral polypeptides with a mass exceeding 20,000 amu. They are composed of 50 amino acids – 25 tryptophan and 25 lysine residues – and 26 fluorinated alkyl chains. The tools presented here offer a basis for the preparation, control and detection of polypeptide beams.
- Organisation(s)
- Quantum Optics, Quantum Nanophysics and Quantum Information
- External organisation(s)
- Technische Universität Darmstadt, Universität Basel, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, Sun Yat-sen University
- Journal
- Communications Chemistry
- Volume
- 1
- No. of pages
- 8
- ISSN
- 2399-3669
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s42004-018-0095-y
- Publication date
- 12-2018
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 104017 Physical chemistry, 104002 Analytical chemistry
- ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Materials Chemistry, Chemistry(all), Biochemistry, Environmental Chemistry
- Portal url
- https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/en/publications/pushing-the-mass-limit-for-intact-launch-and-photoionization-of-large-neutral-biopolymers(f85c4f12-be4c-42aa-a55e-5b8c22b79add).html