Negative-ion fast atom bombardment tandem mass spectrometry for characterization of sulfated unsaturated disaccharides from heparin and heparan sulfate.

Negative-ion fast atom bombardment tandem mass spectrometry has been used in the characterization of non-, mono-, di- and trisulfated disaccharides from heparin and heparan sulfate. The positional isomers of the sulfate group of monosulfated disaccharides were distinguished from each other by negative-ion fast atom bombardment tandem mass spectra, which provide an easy way of identifying the positional isomers. This fast atom bombardment collision induced dissociation mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry technique was also applied successfully to the characterization of di- and trisulfated disaccharides.