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History of Mass Spectrometry

From Thomson and Aston to modern proteomics, the evolution of mass spectrometry for peptides.

By Encyclopeptide Editorial | 1 min read
mass-spectrometry analytical proteomics history

Overview

Mass spectrometry has become the cornerstone technology for peptide and protein analysis, evolving from early ion physics to modern high-resolution instruments.

Key Milestones

  • 1897: J.J. Thomson discovers electrons
  • 1919: Francis Aston builds mass spectrograph
  • 1969: Fenn develops electrospray ionization (ESI)
  • 1985: Tanaka develops MALDI
  • 2002: Fenn and Koichi Tanaka win Nobel Prize
  • 2000s: Orbitrap and Q-TOF instruments
  • 2010s: Data-independent acquisition (DIA)

Impact

ESI and MALDI revolutionized peptide analysis, enabling proteomics, biomarker discovery, and pharmaceutical quality control.

References

  • Source: ENCP Peptide Database
  • Category: Peptide History

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