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Mass Spectrometry

Mass spectrometry uses mass spectrometers and mass spectrographs to identify chemical substances by analyzing the ions in electromagnetic fields according to mass-to-charge ratios. In other words, it measures their mass and their charge and determines what substance and isotope they are based on those two variable characteristics and some constants.

Mass spectrometers, the most commonly used tool, detect charged particles electrically, while the mass spectrograph uses photographic or other nonelectric methods. These spectroscopes are composed of: a high-vacuum system; a system to handle the sample to be measured; an ion source; an analyzer for the separation of beam into components; and a detector/receiver, where the beam components are observed and/or collected.

Mass spectrometry has been crucial since the dawn of modern chemistry and physical chemistry, and continues to be important today in dozens of applied science fields. In medical technology, for instance, it's used to measure concentration of isotopes when they're used as tracers in tests or in the administration of drugs.

Web Resources On Mass Spectrometry

I-Mass: Mass Spectrometry on the Web
Basic Mass Spectroscopy

Book Resources On Mass Spectrometry

Mass Spectrometry: Principles and Applications by Hoffmann et al.
Mass Spectrometry Basics by Herbert et al.

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