Neutrons matter: isotopic shifts in ion mobility separations

Ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry (IMS-MS) has emerged as a mainstream analytical technique for rapidly separating challenging molecular species as well as being complementary to existing omics-based workflows. With new technological advancements and commercial instrumentation, the ability to perform high-resolution measurements has become more available to users. This has opened the door for tackling previously intractable isomeric species as well as newer avenues of research focusing on fundamental ion structure. In this young investigator perspective, I will highlight the area of research known as isotopic shifts, or rather the separations of isotopologues and isotopomers with IMS-MS, and its applications and fundamental studies.