Tri-Alpha-Napthyl Benzene as a Crystalline or Glassy Matrix for Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization: A Model System for the Study of Effects of Dispersion of Polymer Samples at a Molecular Level

Published

January 1, 2002

Author(s)

Barry J. Bauer, Kathleen M. Flynn, Da-Wei Liu, William R. Blair

Abstract

Tri-a-napthyl benzene (TaNB) is used as a matrix in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) spectroscopy. Electrosprayed TaNB is crystalline and has a melting point of 180 2 C. After heating above the melting point, TaNB becomes amorphous with a glass transition temperature of 68 2 C and no remaining crystallinity. MALDI samples containing mass fraction 1% polystyrene (PS) can be run in both the crystalline and amorphous states. In the crystalline state, there is a spectrum typical of PS, but in the amorphous state, the signal disappears. If the transparent amorphous sample is treated with butanol, it becomes white, and the MANDI signal is regained. SANS shows that the crystalline state has large aggregations of PS while the amorphous state has molecularly dispersed PS molecules. The MALDI is only possible when there are large aggregations of polymer molecules, with individually dispersed molecules giving no signal.

Volume

16

Conference Dates

May 1, 0027

Conference Title

Rapid Communication in Mass Spectrometry

Pub Type

Conferences

Keywords

crystallinity, MALDI, matrix effects, SANS, synthetic polymer

Citation

Bauer, B. , Flynn, K. , Liu, D. and Blair, W. (2002), Tri-Alpha-Napthyl Benzene as a Crystalline or Glassy Matrix for Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization: A Model System for the Study of Effects of Dispersion of Polymer Samples at a Molecular Level, Rapid Communication in Mass Spectrometry (Accessed October 12, 2025)