MALDI Oligonucleotide Sample Preparation

Guidelines for oligonucleotide sample preparation for MALDI are found below, or can be downloaded as a pdf.

Plate Cleaning

Cleaning solvents: 

Solvent A: 2-Propanol

Solvent B: Water  

Solvent C: TA30 

Cleaning protocol

 • Wipe off old preparations using tissue wetted with solvent A and solvent B, subsequently. 

 • Sonicate the target plate for 10min using solvent A. 

 • Sonicate the target plate for another 10min using solvent C. 

 • Dry the target plate using high purity nitrogen or air. Don´t wipe the target front side of the cleaned plate. If pure gases are not available, let dry the plate under room conditions.

Matrix solution preparation according to plate type

Plate type: Ground steel - Matrix Solution: 3-HPA saturated in H2O:ACN 50:50 (v:v), containing 10mg/ml Diammonium hydrogen citrate ( DAC)

Plate type: AnchorChip (800µm) - Matrix Solution: 3-HPA 10mg/ml in H2O:ACN 50:50 (v:v), containing 10mg/ml  DAC  

Sample spotting

Sample Solvent: water 

Apply 0.5µl of the matrix solution on the target. Let the matrix dry down at room temperature. Add 0.5µl of the sample solution on top of the dried matrix preparation spot. Let the preparation dry down at room temperature.