Key Areas

Our group has introduced new concepts that promote rapid chemical analysis, conceived and built new instruments and applied these advances to societal problems.

Fundamentals/concepts

Other topics:

Family of new methods to ionize samples w/o preparation in the ambient environment – especially desorption electrospray ionization 
Zoltan Takats, Justin M. Wiseman, Bogdan Gologan, and R. Graham Cooks, “Mass Spectrometry Sampling Under Ambient Conditions with Desorption Electrospray Ionization”, Science, 5695 (2004) 471-473, doi: 10.1126/science.1104404.

R. Graham Cooks, Zheng Ouyang, Zoltan Takats, Justin M. Wiseman, "Ambient Mass Spectrometry", Science, 2006, 311(5767), 1566-1570, doi: 10.1126/science.1119426

Ion soft landing to separate and collect pure biological materials 
Zheng Ouyang, Zoltan Takats, Thomas A. Blake, Bogdan Gologan, Andy J. Guymon, Justin M. Wiseman, Justin C. Oliver, V. Jo Davisson, R. Graham Cooks, “Preparing Protein Microarrays by Soft Landing of Mass-Selected Ions”,Science, 2003, 301, 1351-1354, doi: 10.1126/science.1088776

S. A. Miller, H. Luo, S. J. Pachuta and R. G. Cooks, "Soft-Landing of Polyatomic Ions at Fluorinated Self-Assembled Monolayer Surfaces", Science, 275 (1997) 1447-1450, doi: 10.1126/science.275.5305.1447

New scan modes including MRM and neutral loss scans
J. C. Schwartz, A. P. Wade, C. G. Enke and R.G. Cooks, "Systematic Delineation of Scan Modes in Multidimensional Mass Spectrometry", Anal. Chem., 62 (1990) 1809–1818, doi: 10.1021/ac00216a016

Surface–induced dissociation and ion/surface reactions
R.G. Cooks, T. Ast, T. Pradeep and V. Wysocki, "Reactions of Ions with Organic Surfaces", Accounts Chem. Res., 27 (1994) 316-323, doi: 10.1021/ar00047a001

Kinetic method of estimating thermochemical properties based on cluster ion dissociation 
S.A. McLuckey, D. Cameron and R.G. Cooks, "Proton Affinities from Dissociations of Proton-Bound Dimers", J. Am. Chem. Soc., 103 (1981) 1313-1317, doi: 10.1021/ja00396a001

J.S. Patrick, T. Kotiaho, S.A. McLuckey and R.G. Cooks, "Thermochemical Determinations by the Kinetic Method",Mass Spec. Rev., 13 (1995) 287, doi: 10.1002/mas.1280130402

Combined soft ionization with two stages of mass analysis to introduce direct analysis of mixtures by tandem mass spectrometry 
R.W. Kondrat and R.G. Cooks, "Direct Analysis of Mixtures by Mass Spectrometry", Anal. Chem., 50 (1978) A81,doi: 10.1021/ac50023a006

First use of matrices to facilitate desorption ionization 
L.K. Liu, K.L. Busch and R.G. Cooks, "Matrix-Assisted Secondary Ion Mass Spectra of Biological Compounds",Anal. Chem., 53 (1981) 109-113, doi: 10.1021/ac00224a028

Droplet pickup mechanism shown by fluid mechanics and laser anemometry
Anthony B Costa, R. Graham Cooks, "Simulated Splashes: Elucidating the Mechanism of Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry", Chemical Physics Letters, 2008, 464, 1-8, doi:  10.1016/j.cplett.2008.08.020

Chiral serine octamer - the original prebiotic chiral molecule? 
Sergio C. Nanita, R. Graham Cooks, "Serine Octamers: Cluster Formation, Reactions, and Implications for Biomolecule Homochirality", Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2006, 45(4), 554-569, doi: 10.1002/anie.200501328

General method of quantitative chiral analysis
W. A. Tao, Duxi Zhang, R. Graham Cooks and Eugene N. Nikolaev, “Copper (II)-Assisted Kinetic Resolution of D, L-Amino Acids: A Model System for Chiral Recognition in the Gas Phase”, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 122, (2000) 10598-10609, doi: 10.1021%2Fja000127o

Kinetic energy release and energy partitioning in unimolecular dissociation
R.G. Cooks, D.W. Setser, K.R. Jennings and S. Jones, "Energy Partition in the Fragmentation of Organic Ions. Benzaldoxime Methyl Ethers", Int. J. Mass Spectrom. Ion Phys., 7 (6) (1971) 493, doi:10.1016/0020-7381(71)80041-4

Cationization of organic molecules
H. Grade, N. Winograd and R.G. Cooks, "Cationization of Organic Molecules in Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry", J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 99 (1977) 7725, doi: 10.1021/ja00465a062

Thermometer ion method of measuring ion internal energy distributions 
V.H. Wysocki, H.I. Kenttämaa and R.G. Cooks, "Internal Energy Distributions of Isolated Ions after Activation by Various Methods", Int. J. Mass Spectrom. Ion Proc., 75 (1987) 181- 208 doi: 10.1016/0168-1176(87)83054-9