Shedding light on the frontier of photodissociation.

The development of new ion activation/dissociation methods is motivated by the need for more versatile ways to characterize structures of ions, especially in the growing arena of biological mass spectrometry in which better tools for determining sequences, modifications, interactions, and conformations of biopolymers are essential. Although most agree that collision-induced dissociation (CID) remains the gold standard for ion activation/dissociation, recent inroads in electron- and photon-based activation methods have cemented their role as outstanding alternatives. This article will focus on the impact of photodissociation, including its strengths and drawbacks as an analytical tool, and its potential for further development in the next decade. Moreover, the discussion will emphasize photodissociation in quadrupole ion traps, because that platform has been used for one of the greatest arrays of new applications over the past decade. © American Society for Mass Spectrometry, 2011