Contents

Description of the Resource

The mass spectrometry center at Washington University-St. Louis is a merger of the former NSF Midwest Center for Mass Spectrometry (founded in 1978 at the University of Nebraska) and the Biomedical Mass Spectrometry Resource (founded in 1976 at Washington University). The new resource, which was formed in 1994 and is supported by the NIH National Center for Research Resources (Grant No. P41RR0954) and Biomedical Technology Resource Centers is committed not only to service but also to basic and collaborative research in mass spectrometry and to education of graduate and postdoctoral students in the field.

The Resource has two arms: one in the Department of Chemistry and one in the Medical School, and has interaction with the Protein Laboratory of the Medical School.

Instrumentation

VG ZAB-T 4-sector tandem mass spectrometer
Kratos MS-50 3-sector tandem mass spectrometer
ABI 4700 TOF/TOF mass spectrometer for high resolving power MALDI and true MS/MS capability
Ion-Spec Fourier transform mass spectrometer 7.0-Tesla with MALDI
Finnigan LCQ-Classic Ion-Trap mass spectrometer with electrospray ionization
Finnigan LCQ-Deca Ion-Trap mass spectrometer with nano-LC and nano-electrospray ionization
Finnigan Deca-XP+ Ion-Trap mass spectrometer with nano-LC and nano-electrospray ionization
Micromass QTOF-Ultima quadrupole-TOF mass spectrometer with electrospray ionization and MALDI
ThermoFisher LTQ-FT fourier transform mass spectrometer, 7.0-Tesla magnet with nano-LC and nano-electrospray ionization
ThermoFisher Orbitrap XL mass spectrometer with nano-LC and nano-electrospray ionization

Instrumentation at the Medical School Arm includes:

Finnigan TSQ 7000 triple quadrupole with electrospray ionization
Finnigan SSQ 7000 single quadrupole GC/MS mass spectrometer
Finnigan LCQ Deca ion-trap mass spectrometer with electrospray ionization and Waters CapLC HPLC
Hewlett Packard 5988A GC/MS mass spectrometer (EI/CI positive/negative ions)
Two Agilent 5973 GC/MS mass spectrometers (EI/CI positive/negative ions)
Finnigan MAT Delta+ XL isotope ratio mass spectrometer with gas bench, H-devise, combustion, pyrolysis, and reduction furnaces
Applied Biosystems MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer
Micromass Micro Q-TOF quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometer with electrospray ionization and Waters CapLC HPLC

Instrumentation in the Protein Lab includes:

Finnigan LCQ Ion-Trap mass spectrometer with electrospray ionization

Services Offered

EI, CI, and FAB by sector MS.
Electrospray by ion-traps (including FT and Orbitrap) and QTOF MS.
LC/MS by electrospray ion-traps (including FT and Orbitrap) MS.
MALDI by TOF-MS and MS/MS.
Exact mass determination by sector, QTOF, FT and Orbitrap MS.
Tandem MS by sector, Ion-traps, QTOF, and FT mass spectrometry.
Database search of proteomics results with MASCOT

The Medical School arm provides service in:

Electrospray by quadrupole and ion-trap MS.
Tandem MS of electrosprayed ions by triple quadrupole and ion-trap.
GC/low resolution mass spectrometry.
Gas Isotope Ratio mass spectrometry - with online combustion EI, CI and electron-capture ionization.

The full range of service is available to all academic scientists on a subsidized fee-for-service basis (fee schedule). The resource also provides to industrial and governmental scientists those services that cannot be obtained from commercial laboratories owing to lack of equipment, capabilities, or expertise. These services are provided on an unsubsidized fee-for-service basis. Industrial and government scientists are requested to contact commercial laboratories before considering service at this resource.
A new price schedule was implemented on October 1, 2006.

If you are not sure about what type of analysis will meet your needs please read the Instrumentation and Ionization Methods Tutorial or contact the resource staff.

Instructions for Sample Submission

Samples can be submitted in 12 X 30 mm, screw-cap vials or centrifuge tubes. Approximately 1 mg of the sample is sufficient for FAB and EI, less for MALDI or ESI. For limited sample quantities, MALDI and ESI are the prefered ionization methods, please use V-shaped interior vials (0.1-mL) or eppendorf centrifuge tubes. Each sample must be labeled with the submitter's name and a sample ID number and be accompanied by a submission form. Samples sent by mail should be in a mailing tube. For unstable samples and when other special handling are required, please call the Resource in advance (submission form).
If FAB analysis and exact-mass measurement is requested it is usually preceded by nominal mass measurements over a large mass range at low resolving power. In case only an exact mass measurement is required, the sample should be accompanied by a spectrum at wide mass range at low resolving power in the same ionization method, stating the exact conditions with which it was acquired. Exact-mass measurement in other ionization methods like EI, ESI and MALDI can be performed without prior nominal mass measurement

First-time users of the resource are required to provide information about their grants to assist resource staff in reporting to NIH. Information-survey forms will be sent when the samples arrive at the resource.

CONTACT THE MEDICAL SCHOOL ARM FOR INSTRUCTIONS ON SAMPLE SUBMISSION (for a submission form click here).

Acknowledgments

Contact Persons

The Resource staff in the Chemistry Arm includes:

Director: Michael L. Gross, (314) 935-4814, e-mail mgross@wustl.edu.
Assitant Directors:

The Resource staff in the Medical School Arm includes:

Director: John W. Turk, (314) 362-8190, e-mail jturk@im.wustl.edu.
Assistant Director: Kevin Yarasheski, (314) 362-8173, e-mail key@im.wustl.edu.
Assistant Director: Fong-Fu Hsu, (314) 362-0056, e-mail fhsu@im.wustl.edu.
Staff Assistant: Denise Kampwerth (314) 362-8190, e-mail dkampwer@im.wustl.edu.
Head Technician: Jan Crowley, (314) 362-2450, e-mail jcrowley@wuchem.wustl.edu.
Instrumentation Specialist: Richard Berger, (314) 362-2602, e-mail rberger@im.wustl.edu.

The Protein Laboratory.

Director: Greg A. Grant, (314) 362-3367, e-mail ggrant@pharmdec.wustl.edu

Fees for Service

Internet links

Last revision June 16, 2008