mass spectrometry: Quick Facts

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Also Known As	mass spectroscopy

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Figure 1: An electron bombardment ion source in cross section. An electron beam is drawn from the filament and accelerated across the region in which the ions are formed and toward the electron trap. An electric field produced by the repeller forces the ion beam from the source through the exit slit.

Figure 2: Paths of monoenergetic ions moving in a plane perpendicular to a magnetic field, passing through focal point B after originating at point A (see text).

Figure 3: Focusing action of a radial electrostatic field produced by two semicylindrical charged electrodes on a monoenergetic beam of ions. The ions diverging from point A are brought to a focus at point B.

Figure 4: Arrangement of the electrostatic and magnetic sectors in the Mattauch-Herzog double-focusing mass spectrometer. The ions are deflected in opposite directions in the electrostatic and magnetic fields. The divergent monoenergetic beam contains two ion species of different mass-to-charge ratio. All ions are brought to a focus along the plane AB.

Figure 5: Arrangement of the electrostatic and magnetic sectors in the Nier double-focusing mass spectrometer. The angle of the electrostatic sector is 90° and that of the magnetic sector 60°. The direction of deflection of the ion beam is the same in both sectors.

Figure 6: Schematic diagram of a quadrupole mass spectrometer. The pairs of opposing electrodes are electrically connected to a balanced voltage source having a radio frequency component superimposed on a constant potential. Combinations of values for the amplitude and frequency exist that allow ions of a given mass from a beam of constant energy to emerge undeflected.

Figure 7: The mass spectrum of osmium. This recorder trace was obtained with an electron multiplier detecting OsO3−. The leftmost and rightmost peaks were recorded with the detector gain set at a value 100 times that used for the rest of the spectrum; this change is marked by the change in the baseline position. The small satellite peaks to the left are those of the low abundance oxygen isotopes 17O and 18O; the osmium isotopes are, from left to right, 184Os, 186Os, 188Os, 189Os, 190Os, and the satellite peaks of 192Os.

Figure 8: Schematic diagram showing the ion trajectories in an accelerator mass spectrometer with application to 10Be. Negative ions of BeO leave the source and are mass analyzed with 10BeO− directed into the accelerator and 9BeO− into a Faraday cup. The molecular ions are broken up by gas and a thin carbon foil in the high-voltage terminal with much of the 10Be ionized to the 3+ charge state. The emerging ions pass through a velocity selector, are again analyzed for mass, and pass to the detector. Velocity selection is attained by a magnetic field and an electric field that are orthogonal to one another and to the beam direction; they are adjusted so that no deflection takes place for ions of the desired velocity.

mass spectrum of 2-butanone

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Topics

resonance-ionization mass spectrometry ion-trap mass spectrometry mass spectroscope mass spectrometer secondary ion mass spectrometry mass spectrum ion-velocity spectrometer mass spectrograph ion-beam scanning velocity-focusing spectrometer chromatography spectrochemical analysis colorimetry polarimetry

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Fenn, John B.

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Francis William Aston.

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