Terms and Definitions

I have finally embarked in earnest on the quest to unite ASMS and IUPAC to get the MS terms and definitions situation in order. It has been about a dozen years since there was a general agreement on MS terminology and there has been just a little bit of change in the field in the mean time. Fortunately, we in the mass spectrometry and analytical chemistry communities have quite a bit more information technology to draw on since the last terminology go round.

For starters, the IUPAC recommendations for MS terms can be found on line in Chapter 12 of the “Orange Book” entitled Compendium of Analytical Nomenclature. Be forewarned, though: the index in hypertext, but the text is in PDF so get ready for some downloads.

The Old ASMS Terms and Definitions glossary (that was on the ASMS website until June of 2000) can still be found in the Internet Archive Wayback Machine. I took the liberty of copying the hypertext into a Quicktopic Document Review comment forum as a way to start discussion.

Other important documents are David Sparkman’s book “The Mass Spectrometry Desk Reference” and reviews of this book in The Journal of Chemical Education and Trends in Biotechnology. Phil Price’s JASMS article is “Standard Definitions of Terms Relating to Mass Spectrometry,” J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom. 1991, 2, 336, which can be found on the JASMS site if you can remember how to log on (I can’t).

I am an associate membership of the IUPAC Analytical Chemistry Division and an at-large member of the ASMS board. Feel free to contact me in either, both, or neither of these capacities at kmurray@ch335c.chem.lsu.edu. I will also post any feedback on the MS Blog if you like.

         – Kermit Murray

Virtual MS Lab

The Virtual Mass Spectrometry Lab is a joint project between Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. There are some nice virtual reality views of real-life instruments, but the coolest thing is the virtual instrument pages that allow you to run experiments based on HTML form input. The frame-based interface is a little clunky and the data acquisition and analysis panels could use clickable help links, but it is fun to spend a few minutes doing GCMS runs without getting up from your chair.

ASMS Fall Workshop: MS/ADME

ASMS Fall Workshop

November 10 – 11, 2003

Sheraton Hotel, Boston, MA

“Mass Spectrometry Supporting Pharmaceutical ADME Studies”

Organized by Timothy Baker, Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals

Program details and registration are posted on the web site:

http://www.asms.org/confFallWorkshop2003.php

The deadline for registration is October 27, 2003.

For additional information, please check the web site or call the ASMS office

at (505) 989-4517.

Asilomar Conference on Biomolecule Interactions/Protein Complexes

This just in:

19th ASILOMAR CONFERENCE on MASS SPECTROMETRY

sponsored by ASMS



Biomolecule Interactions: Identification and Characterization of Protein Complexes

October 17 - 21, 2003

The Asilomar Conference Center, Pacific Grove, California

Program Chairs:  Joseph A. Loo (University of California, Los Angeles) and

Carol V. Robinson (Cambridge University)



Program details and registration are posted to the web site:

http://www.asms.org/confAsilomar2003.php



Registration is limited to 120 people.  No more than three people from a

company or research group may apply.



POSTERS.  A limited number of posters will be presented during the conference.

If you have a new development in any area pertaining to protein complexes

and mass spectrometry that you wish to present, please contact Joseph Loo.



For additional information please check the web site or call the ASMS office at

(505) 989-4517