Applications of ion mobility MS in metabolomics

Ion mobility spectrometry is a gas-phase electrophoretic technique that separates ions according to their charge, shape and size [1]. The separation occurs within milliseconds, making it compatible with LC and MS. Ion mobility spectrometry can be integrated into current workflows for metabolomics, improving peak capacity and separation of the metabolome, when compared with conventional analyses without IMS. Ion mobility-derived information provides an orthogonal physicochemical parameter, the collision cross-section, which is related to the shape of the metabolite. When used in addition to retention time and accurate mass, collision cross-section values can enhance the specificity of metabolite identification. In this chapter, we review the use of ion mobility MS for metabolomics applications.