Detection of small neutral carbohydrates using various supporting materials in laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry

A comprehensive comparative investigation of small carbohydrates in laser desorption ionization was performed on supporting materials composed of sodiated 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB), carbon nanotubes, an ionic liquid matrix of DHB-pyridine, a binary matrix of DHB-aminopyrazine, zinc oxide nanoparticles, and gold nanoparticles. The abundance of [M+Na]⁺ ions, where M is glucose or sucrose, was compared for each supporting material. The highest sensitivity for both glucose and sucrose, with a detection limit of 3 pmol, was observed with carbon nanotubes. Both carbon nanotubes and the ionic liquid matrix exhibited the highest reproducibility.