Identification of metabolic intermediates in microbial degradation of phenol using laser desorption time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Laser desorption time-of-flight (LD-TOF) mass spectrometry was utilized to determine the metabolic intermediates in microbial degradation of phenol. The identified components were in good agreement with the well-documented pathway. This technique also demonstrated excellent precision. Analytical merits, instrumentation and methodology are discussed.