Characterization of oligonucleotides and nucleic acids by mass spectrometry.

The continued refinement of two recent methods for producing gas-phase ions, electrospray ionization and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization, has resulted in new techniques for the rapid characterization of oligonucleotides by mass spectrometry. Using commercially available instruments, molecular mass measurements at the 20-mer level, with errors less than 2 Da, can now be made routinely in less than 15 min. Progress has also been achieved in the development of mass spectrometry for rapid sequencing of oligonucleotides smaller than 25 residues.