Michael P. Balogh

Michael P. Balogh is the editor of "MS - The Practical Art," and is widely recognized as one of the leading experts in the field of mass spectrometry. He is currently Principal Scientist, LC-MS Technology Development, with Waters Corp., Milford, Massachusetts, and is a member of LCGC's editorial advisory board.

This month's column addresses some elementary aspects of the mass spectrum, the tools used and some advances in the science

This month's installment addresses some elementary aspects of the mass spectrum, the tools employed by the experienced practitioner, and advances being made into identifying unknowns.

Michael Balogh uses examples such as the recent acetonitrile shortage to examine the topic of "the unknowable" as it pertains to separation science.

"In retrospect, we sometimes see the successful return of an earlier idea on the back of great advances in technology."

Columnist Michael Balogh looks back on a 1997 LCGC article he wrote, and examines how many technological advances the field of MS has witnessed in the decade since.

The use of mass spectrometry to study biofuels is examined and the advantages and disadvantages are explored.

This column completes the multipart MS primer with a list of terms derived from common usage throughout various industries.

Part III concludes the print version of our three-part series, "A Mass Spectrometry Primer," with the glossary to follow in a fourth and final installment.

Two decades ago, MS was the preserve of experts and skilled technicians as the instrumentation required constant attention and adjustment. At that time, liquid chromatography (LC)–MS was in its infancy and atmospheric pressure ionization (API) source interfacing was just beginning. Samples requiring analysis were passed from the requesting scientist to these "experts for analysis." The samples would be analyzed, processed, and interpreted, and the results returned via a written report. Two decades later, the users and capabilities of LC–MS have changed significantly. Now mass spectrometers and LC–MS systems are ubiquitous in the analytical laboratory, especially in the pharmaceutical industry. These instruments are used by a wide variety of scientists for a diverse range of tasks, from purity screening in medicinal chemistry, to the quantification of drugs in blood and the identification of proteins for biomarker discovery. The usability of the current MS platforms has improved..