Advantages of Monodisperse and Chemically Robust “SpheriCal” Polyester Dendrimers as a “Universal” MS Calibrant

The utilization of dendrimer calibrants as an alternative to peptides and proteins for high mass calibration is explored. These synthetic macromolecules exhibited a number of attractive advantages, including exceptional shelf-lives, broad compatibility with a wide range of matrices and solvents, and evenly spaced calibration masses across the mass range examined, 700-30,000 u. The exceptional purity of these dendrimers and the technical simplicity of this calibration platform validate their broad relevance for high molecular weight mass spectrometry.