This book presents the basic principles of time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry with a strong emphasis on applications in biological research. It describes many innovative techniques, including orthogonal extraction, post source decay, and delayed extraction, and surveys ionization techniques used on TOF mass spectrometers such as electron impact, plasma desorption, SIMS, FAB, laser desorption, MALDI, and electrospray. The book features chapters on applications to peptides/proteins, oligonucleotides, and other biological macromolecules, and examines how techniques might be used in sequencing the human genome.