Locating double bonds in lipids – New approaches to the use of ozonolysis

Abstract Since the location of double bonds within a lipid molecule is critical to its biological function, methods that reveal details of this structural arrangement are of importance. Ozone can react with double bonds resulting in ozonolysis products that have masses characteristic of the exact location of these double bonds within fatty acid residues. This paper describes the use of the ozonolysis reaction for the assignment of double bond positions, with a focus on the recent developments in coupling ozonolysis reactions in‐situ and in‐line with mass spectrometry, even for use with complex lipid samples.