Nicolas C. Polfer on Infrared Spectroscopy of Ions
New Hot Paper Commentary, September 2010
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Article: VIBRATIONAL SPECTROSCOPY OF BARE AND SOLVATED IONIC COMPLEXES OF BIOLOGICAL RELEVANCE
Authors: Polfer, NC;Oomens, J |
Nicolas C. Polfer talks with ScienceWatch.com and answers a few questions about this month's New Hot Papers paper in the field of Engineering.
Why do you think your paper is highly
cited?
The development of soft ionization techniques in the late 1980s made it possible to transfer large biomolecules into the gas phase and thus measure their mass spectra (see Nobel Prize for Chemistry 2002). It took another decade before vibrational spectra of these gas-phase ions could be recorded routinely.
"I would like to maintain a twin track approach between fundamental research and technique development, as all truly novel ideas originate from fundamental studies."
This review article describes the technique of "Infrared spectroscopy of ions," where infrared lasers are combined with mass spectrometry instrumentation. This is an emerging technique that enhances structural information from mass spectrometry measurements. Hence, there has been a significant increase in research activity in this field in the past few years.
Does it describe a new discovery, methodology, or
synthesis of knowledge?
As a review paper, the focus is on synthesis of knowledge, so that the potential benefits of this technique can be shared more widely in the scientific community.
Would you summarize the significance of your paper
in layman's terms?
A mass spectrometer is a device that measures the mass of molecules, and is one of the most sensitive tools to obtain useful information on the identity of a molecule. Nonetheless, the structural information from mass spectrometry is often limited.
Developments in laser technology have now made it possible to also record the infrared spectra of ions in a mass spectrometer. The combination of ultra-high sensitivity (from mass spectrometry) and high structural information (from laser spectroscopy) are particularly useful for answering questions in biomolecular sciences.
How did you become involved in this research, and
how would you describe the particular challenges, setbacks, and
successes that you've encountered along the way?
I did my Ph.D. in the field of mass spectrometry (University of Edinburgh, UK) and then moved to work with lasers (FOM Institute, "Rijnhuizen," The Netherlands) during my postdoc. I think that initially most researchers in my field regarded this technique as a toy, not yet realizing its full potential. This perception has markedly changed, and I have certainly profited from this situation, having launched my own independent research career at the University of Florida.
Where do you see your research leading in the
future?
I aim to contribute to society by developing useful (bio)analytical tools. I would like to maintain a twin track approach between fundamental research and technique development, as all truly novel ideas originate from fundamental studies.
Do you foresee any social or political
implications for your research?
Uncovering the role of proteins in biology will open up huge avenues in the
biomedical sciences. This challenge also requires the further development
of analytical techniques by researchers like myself.
Nicolas C. Polfer
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemistry
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL, USA
KEYWORDS: MULTIPLE-PHOTON DISSOCIATION; INFRARED PHOTODISSOCIATION SPECTROSCOPY; COLLISION-INDUCED DISSOCIATION; ELECTRON-CAPTURE DISSOCIATION; AROMATIC-AMINO-ACIDS; PROTON-BOUND DIMERS; OPTICAL PARAMETRIC OSCILLATOR; TRANSFORM MASS-SPECTROMETER; IR MULTIPHOTON DISSOCIATION; PERIODICALLY POLED LINBO3.