Mass Spectrometer

MS measures the mass-to-change ratio (m/z) of ions that have been produced from the sample.


Sample -> Inlet -> ionization source -> analyzer -> Ion detector -> data system

From ionization source to ion detector, it's taken place in vaccum system.

Unionized molecules and fragments are pumped out of the ionization source. Ions are passed into an analyzer where they are separated according to their mass-to-change ratio. Ion strike an ion detector, where they produce an electrical signal that is recorded and plotted by data system.

The stages within the mass spectrometer are:

1. Producing ions from the sample
2. Separating ions of differing masses
3. Detecting the number of ions of each mass produced
4. Collecting the data and generating the mass spectrum

The technique has several applications, including:

* identifying unknown compounds by the mass of the compound molecules or their fragments
* determining the isotopic composition of elements in a compound
* determining the structure of a compound by observing its fragmentation
* quantifying the amount of a compound in a sample using carefully designed methods (mass spectrometry is not inherently quantitative)
* studying the fundamentals of gas phase ion chemistry (the chemistry of ions and neutrals in vacuum)
* determining other physical, chemical, or even biological properties of compounds with a variety of other approaches