Article
Article
Mass spectroscope
Article By:
Nier, Alfred O. School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Gove, Harry E. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York.
Last reviewed:January 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.408750
An instrument used for determining the masses of atoms or molecules found in a sample of gas, liquid, or solid. It is analogous to the optical spectroscope, in which a beam of light containing various colors (white light) is sent through a prism to separate it into the spectrum of colors present. In a mass spectroscope, a beam of ions (electrically charged atoms or molecules) is sent through a combination of electric and magnetic fields so arranged that a mass spectrum is produced. If the ions fall on a photographic plate which after development shows the mass spectrum, the instrument is called a mass spectrograph; if the spectrum is allowed to sweep across a slit in front of an electrical detector which records the current, it is called a mass spectrometer.
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
