The recent explosion of applications with mass spectrometry to solving problems in chemical and bioanalytical analysis requires scientists from all disciplines to become conversant in the language and symbolism of mass spectrometry. Failure to do so may result in confusion, misrepresentation, and significantly diminished communication; both written and oral. This concise desk reference is compiled to give newcomers and seasoned practitioners the information they need to be successful for communicating ideas and results.
O. David Sparkman is a consultant in mass spectrometry and the director of the Pacific Mass Spectrometry Facility in the Department of Chemistry at the University of the Pacific where he is an Adjunct Professor of Analytical Chemistry, teaching courses in analytical chemistry and mass spectrometry and directs the research of graduate students. He also teaches courses in LC/MS, GC/MS, and mass spectral interpretation for LC Resources.
He is the co-author with J. Throck Watson of Introduction to Mass Spectrometry: Instrumentation, Applications and Strategies for Data Interpretation, 4th ed. (John Wiley, December 2007), now in its fourth printing. He has authored two editions of Mass Spectrometry Desk Reference (Global View Publishing, 2002 and 2006) and the "Review of what's new in mass spectrometry" at PittCon that has appeared annually in the Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry for the past 15 years. Currently, Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry: A Practical Guide, 2nd Ed. Co authored with Zelda Penton and Fulton G. Kitson is in press (Academic Press).
He has been a member of the Board of Directors of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry, the Editorial Advisory Board of Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry, the continuing education committee of the American Chemical Society, and an ACS instructor in mass spectrometry for over 30 years. He is currently on the Editorial Advisory Board of the European Journal of Mass Spectrometry and is the Reviews Editor for this journal. He is the 2008 Recipient of the American Chemical Society's Analytical Chemistry Division's Award for Continued Service in the Advancement of Analytical Chemistry and the 2009 Alumni Appreciation Day Honoree, Department of Chemistry, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas.
For the past 15 years, Prof. Sparkman has been a continuing consultant to the Mass Spectrometry Data Center at the National Institute of Standards and Technology where he has been instrumental in increasing the size and quality of the electron ionization database and its software. His research interests include nontraditional ways of using the NIST EI Mass Spectral Database in the identifications of unknowns from mass spectra generated using techniques other than electron ionization. He has been a pioneer in the development of applications, using DART TOF mass spectrometry. He is also involved in the understanding and explanation of fragmentation mechanisms.
