Significant Figures, the Periodic Table, and Mass Spectrometry:: The Challenge of Large Biomolecules

• Nancy Carter Dopke ^[1] ; Paul M. TreichelJr. ^[1] ; Martha M. Vestling ^[1]
  1. [1] University of Wisconsin–Madison

     University of Wisconsin–Madison

     City of Madison, Estados Unidos

     
• Localización: Journal of chemical education, ISSN 0021-9584, Vol. 77, Nº 8 (August), 2000, págs. 1065-1065
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The number of significant figures required for meaningful mass spectrometric data for biomolecules is considered. Both resolution and calibration issues are addressed. The details of the isotopic clusters expected for acetic acid (C2), bradykinin (C50), ubiquitin (C378), soybean trypsin inhibitor (C892), and glycogen phosphorylase b (C4367) are presented. Although masses are known for isotopes to more than six significant figures, relative abundance data generally contain fewer than four significant figures, which limits the number of significant figures that should be reported for large molecules (> 10,000 Da) and the precision of the periodic table.