Microchannel plate for surface-induced dissociation in mass spectrometry

A new method for surface-induced dissociation of molecular ions, applied to tandem mass spectrometry, is achieved by collisions at a grazing angle on the inside channel surfaces of a microchannel plate. This technique, termed microchannel SID, is demonstrated by using both positive and negative parent ions in the energy range of 500-2000 eV. Fragmentation spectra of the pentapeptide leucine-enkephalin (555 daltons) at 500 eV show good sequence information with a net fragmentation efficiency of 14%. High mass fragmentation is demonstrated on (CsI)23Cs+ (6113 daltons), with the resultant spectrum showing all cluster fragments from n = 0 to 23.