This proposal is a request for ancillary equipment that is essential for the optimal operation of two tandem mass spectrometers used for carbohydrate research. Modern research grade MS and MS-MS instruments are all designed to be run routinely in both electrospray (ESI) mode (for liquid chromatography, i.e., LC-MS or LC-MS-MS) and electron impact/chemical ionization (EI/CI) mode (for gas chromatography, i.e., GC-MS or GC-MS-MS). Analysis of carbohydrates by conventional LC has made great progress in recent years. A new LC system has been developed involving a patented ion exchange column and pulsed amperometric detector (PAD) which has become the "gold standard" in sugar analysis. Obtaining this LC will allow us to extend from ESI-MS-MS into the field of ESI-MS-MS. This represents the state-of-the-art in carbohydrate analysis.
