Alpha-Cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid
Encyclopedia
α-Cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid, also written as alpha-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid and abbreviated CHCA, is a cinnamic acid
derivative and is a member of the phenylpropanoid
family. It is used as a matrix for peptide
s and nucleotides in MALDI
mass spectrometry
analyses.
Cinnamic acid
Cinnamic acid is a white crystalline organic acid, which is slightly soluble in water.It is obtained from oil of cinnamon, or from balsams such as storax. It is also found in shea butter and is the best indication of its environmental history and post-extraction conditions...
derivative and is a member of the phenylpropanoid
Phenylpropanoid
The phenylpropanoids are a diverse family of organic compounds that are synthesized by plants from the amino acid phenylalanine. Their name is derived from the six-carbon, aromatic phenyl group and the three-carbon propene tail of cinnamic acid, which is synthesized from phenylalanine in the first...
family. It is used as a matrix for peptide
Peptide
Peptides are short polymers of amino acid monomers linked by peptide bonds. They are distinguished from proteins on the basis of size, typically containing less than 50 monomer units. The shortest peptides are dipeptides, consisting of two amino acids joined by a single peptide bond...
s and nucleotides in MALDI
Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization
Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization is a soft ionization technique used in mass spectrometry, allowing the analysis of biomolecules and large organic molecules , which tend to be fragile and fragment when ionized by more conventional ionization methods...
mass spectrometry
Mass spectrometry
Mass spectrometry is an analytical technique that measures the mass-to-charge ratio of charged particles.It is used for determining masses of particles, for determining the elemental composition of a sample or molecule, and for elucidating the chemical structures of molecules, such as peptides and...
analyses.