PNNL

Abstract

Considered a general purpose tool for characterization of samples at the molecular level in environmental and life sciences, mass spectrometry (MS) is commonly used for measuring organic matter in air, water and soil. Broad base of commercially available instrumentation and data analysis tools provide functional analytical platforms for molecular characterization for a variety of applications and samples. MS instrumentation with ultrahigh resolving power (m/?mFWHM > 200 000) is necessary for broad identification of thousands of molecular components present in organic matter samples. This article discusses basic principles of data analysis for ultrahigh resolution MS measurements of small molecules of organic matter.