Biomolecular structure determination by mass spectrometry.

Mass spectometry, conventionally used with smallish molecules (less than 1,000 daltons), has suprisingly emerged as a powerful technique for the determination of the amino acid sequences of proteins and the structure of glycopeptides as well as for the characterization of biologically active materials of unusual structure such as the peptidolipids. Further applications to biomedical problems are foreseen.