Mass Spectrometry Flashcards

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What is mass spectrometry?

Mass spectrometry is a method that uses a machine to measure the masses of ions.

The instrument is called a mass spectrometer.

The sample must be turned into positive ions.

Because only charged particles can be moved and detected by the instrument.

Ionisation, acceleration, separation by mass, then detection of the ions.

It separates them by their mass and charge, called their mass-to-charge ratio.

It is the graph produced by a mass spectrometer that shows the masses of ions and how much of each there is.

It shows different signals for each isotope, so their masses and abundances can be found.

It can identify an unknown substance by measuring the masses of its ions.

Yes. It means it uses a machine to analyse a substance instead of simple test-tube reactions.