Advertisement

If you have an ACS member number, please enter it here so we can link this account to your membership. (optional)

ACS values your privacy. By submitting your information, you are gaining access to C&EN and subscribing to our weekly newsletter. We use the information you provide to make your reading experience better, and we will never sell your data to third party members.

ENJOY UNLIMITED ACCES TO C&EN

Polymers

Chemistry In Pictures

Chemistry in Pictures: Well plated

by Alexandra Taylor
October 2, 2019

A micrograph showing wells in a microplate containing crystallized polymers.
Credit: Arthi Ravi

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) is a mass spectrometry technique used to determine the absolute mass of a compound. These wells, shown at 4× magnification, contain polymer samples that were dissolved in a solution of acetonitrile, water, and 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid. The solvent has evaporated, leaving behind crystals that researchers will then ionize with a laser. Arthi Ravi, a PhD candidate at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram, often uses MALDI in the lab. Ravi’s team aims to create synthetic versions of naturally occurring polymers with enhanced properties, such as greater chemical stability or strength.

Submitted by Arthi Ravi

Do science. Take pictures. Win money. Enter our photo contest here.

Related C&EN Content:

Pharma embraces imaging mass spec

Multiple imaging methods probe host-pathogen interactions

Spying on early ovarian cancer with mass spec imaging.

Article:

This article has been sent to the following recipient:

0 /1 FREE ARTICLES LEFT THIS MONTH Remaining
Chemistry matters. Join us to get the news you need.