Metabolomics is the study of small molecules, commonly known as metabolites, within cells, biofluids, tissues or whole organisms. Carbohydrates can also be incorporated in this, termed glycomics, as changes in both metabolites and carbohydrates also play a large role in phenotypic differences we observe within organisms. The metabolomics and glycomics field suffers from the large number of unknown features observed in an analytical spectrum. Identifying these compounds and associating them with biological pathways is one of the main goals within the field. We utilize model organism C. elegans and high resolution mass spectrometry (MS), Orbitrap and FT-ICR MS, to develop methods for identification of these unknown compounds and determination of their specific structures. Tandem mass spectrometry and collaborative work with quantum mechanical and experimental nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) allows us to approach this structural determination in a bioanalytical fashion.
