Mass Spectrometry

Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Tandem mass spectrometry, also known as MS/MS or MS2, involves multiple steps of Mass Spectrometry selection, with some form of fragmentation occurring in between the stages. In a Tandem mass spectrometer, ions are formed in the ion source and separated by mass-to-charge ratio in the first stage of Mass spectrometry. A common tandem Mass Spectrometry (MS/MS) analyzer will have 3 quadrupoles, denoted Q1, q2, and Q3. Q1 and Q3 are true Mass Analyzers using combinations of voltages and frequencies as described. There are various methods for fragmenting molecules for Tandem MS, including collision-induced dissociation (CID), electron capture dissociation (ECD), infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD) and Blackbody Infrared Radiative Dissociation (BIRD)