FIELD DESORPTION MASS SPECTRA OF ANTIBIOTICS

Abstract

Field desorption mass spectrometry has been shown to be the method of choice in determining molecular weights of a number of non-volatile or thermally unstable antibiotics.Examples are neomycin, streptolydigin, and novobiocin, which do not give molecularions by electron impact or chemical ionization mass spectrometry. In addition, field desorption mass spectrometry provides good indication of the composition of complexes of antibiotics, as illustrated by streptovaricin, filipin, and dermostatin.