4 ms·
Also, if samples were really given out for testing, I find it incredulous nobody stole a small bit they could throw into a mass spectrometer.
by fbdab103 3y ago
Also, if samples were really given out for testing, I find it incredulous nobody stole a small bit they could throw into a mass spectrometer.
- shermantanktop 3y agoMy understanding is that for a simple mix of elements, that might be helpful. But it’s not a matter decompiler. For more complex material, it’ll point you in a direction, not give you a recipe.
- Intralexical 3y ago"Yup, that's mass!"
- shermantanktop 3y agoIt’s definitely not not mass…
- Intralexical 3y agoHave we considered the possibility that it might be energy? I heard sometimes you might think something is mass but actually it's energy.
- shermantanktop 3y agoIt’s energy turtles all the way down.
- fbdab103 3y agoTotally, but you could get a pretty big starting point vs knowing nothing. Especially if it is composed of organic compounds, you have a chance of deciphering some of the molecules. My big hedge - I am not sure the specs of a 40 year old MS. Unit resolution is probably the best case scenario along with super limited m/z range. Interrogating a sample would be much harder than today.
- kragen 3y agoward was super paranoid about this; if i recall correctly, part of the testing protocol when he let companies test it was that everyone involved in the testing had to wash their hands when they left to ensure they didn't have any under their fingernails. but i might be misremembering
- otabdeveloper4 3y agoWashing your hands doesn't actually clean whatever is under your fingernails.
- kragen 3y agohe was a hairdresser, not a forensic pathologist