Mass spectrometry

Article By:

Bursey, Maurice M. Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Williams, Todd D. Department of Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas.

Last reviewed:January 2022

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.408700

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• Mass spectrometry, published May 2020:Download PDF Get Adobe Acrobat Reader
• Mass spectrometry, published June 2014:Download PDF Get Adobe Acrobat Reader

An analytical technique for identification of chemical structures, determination of mixtures, and quantitative elemental analysis by measuring the mass-to-charge (m/z) ratio of ions produced when a sample is ionized. Determination of organic and inorganic molecular structure is based on the fragmentation pattern of the ion formed when the molecule is ionized; further, because such patterns are distinctive, reproducible, and additive, mixtures of known compounds may be analyzed quantitatively. Quantitative elemental analysis of organic compounds requires exact mass values from a high-resolution mass spectrometer; trace analysis of inorganic solids requires a measure of ion intensity as well. See also: Mass spectroscope

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