Charge to mass ratio

Multiply charged cations are formed by attachment of several protons. This process usually occurs for biomolecules in the ESI mode of ionization. The corresponding ions will appear at [M - - nH] +/n, where M is the molecular mass of the biomolecule, n the number of protons it can accept, and H the mass of a proton. Thus, M and miq can have two distinct values. These values are identical only for singly charged ions. This distinction is clearly explicable in Example 1.2. 

Mass spectrometry plays a central role in almost every field of science. This distinction is the result of the high level of molecular specificity, detection sensitivity, and availability of ionization techniques for all classes of compounds. Some of the major areas of applications are  

Determination of the accurate masses of elements and abundances of isotopes Chemistry  

Accurate mass measurement of atoms and molecules Structure analysis of organic compounds Quantitative analysis of inorganic and organic compounds Fundamentals of gas-phase ion chemistry Measurement of physical properties of ions Elemental analysis Precise isotope ratio measurements Environmental science  

Analysis of environmental pollutants in air, water, and soil Study of Earth s atmosphere and water resources (lakes, rivers, oceans) Medicine and life sciences  

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In a mass spectrometer, the molecules, in the gaseous state, are ionized and fragmented. The fragments are detected as a function of their mass-to-charge ratio, m/e. The graphical representation of the ion intensity as a function of m/e makes up the mass spectrogram as illustrated In Figure 3.1. 

Ion chemistry is a product of the 20th century. J J Thomson discovered the electron in 1897 and identified it as a constituent of all matter. Free positive ions (as distinct from ions deduced to exist in solids or electrolytes) were first produced by Thomson just before the turn of the century. He produced beams of light ions, and measured their mass-to-charge ratios, in the early 1900s, culminating in the discovery of two isotopes of neon in 1912 [1]. This year also marked Thomson s discovery of which turns out to be the... 

In odier words, ions with a particular mass-to-charge ratio, m/z, can be selectively passed tlirough the magnetic sector by appropriate choice of a value of V and B (though nonnally V is held constant and only B is varied). 

Magnetic field separates particles according to their mass to charge ratio... 

Mass spectrometry (Section 13 22) Analytical method in which a molecule is ionized and the vanous 10ns are exam ined on the basis of their mass to charge ratio... 

In GC-MS effluent from the column is introduced directly into the mass spectrometer s ionization chamber in a manner that eliminates the majority of the carrier gas. In the ionization chamber all molecules (remaining carrier gas, solvent, and solutes) are ionized, and the ions are separated by their mass-to-charge ratio. Because each solute undergoes a characteristic fragmentation into smaller ions, its mass spectrum of ion intensity as a function of mass-to-charge ratio provides qualitative information that can be used to identify the solute. 

A plot of ion intensity as a function of the ion s mass-to-charge ratios. 

Calculation of trae ma.ss (M) from measnred mass-to-charge ratios m, nij,. .., m,. 

For two successive measured mass-to-charge ratios m and m two equations can be written,... 

All mass spectrometers analyze ions for their mass-to-charge ratios (m/z values) by separating the individual m/z values and then recording the numbers (abundance) of ions at each m/z value to give a mass spectrum. Quadrupoles allow ions of different m/z values to pass sequentially e.g., ions at m/z 100, 101, 102 will pass one after the other through the quadrupole assembly so that first m/z 100 is passed, then 101, then 102 (or vice versa), and so on. Therefore, the ion collector (or detector) at the end of the quadrupole assembly needs only to cover one point or focus for a whole spectrum to be scanned over a period of time (Figure 28.1a). This type of point detector records ion arrivals in a time domain, not a spatial one. 

All mass spectrometers analyze ions for their mass-to-charge ratios (m/z values) and simultaneously for the abundances of ions at any given m/z value. By separating the ions according to m/z and measuring the ion abundances, a mass spectrum is obtained. 

Prior separation of mixtures into individual components may not be needed. If the mass spectrometer is capable of MS/MS operation, one of the mass spectrometers is used to isolate individual ions according to m/z value (mass-to-charge ratio), and the other is used to examine their fragmentation products to obtain structural information. 

Mass to Charge Ratio (m/z) No. of Charges (n) Molecular Mass (RMM)... 

Mass spectrometrically, the mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) is important. However, if z = 1, then, conveniently, m/z = m. 

Another important property of electric and magnetic fields is their ability to separate ions according to their individual masses (m, mj,. .., m ) or, more strictly, their mass-to-charge ratio (mj/z, raji,. mjz). 

Mass spectrograph. An instrument in which beams of ions are separated according to their mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) and in which the deflection and intensity of the beams are recorded directly on a photographic plate or film. 

Resolving power (mass). The ability to distinguish between ions differing slightly in mass-to-charge ratio. It can be characterized by giving the peak width, measured in mass units, expressed as a function of mass, for at least two points on the peak, specifically for 50% and for 5% of the maximum peak height. 

MS", application of successive mass spectrometric measurements n of them), particularly in linked scanning of m/z, which is the ratio of the mass (m) of an ion and the number of charges (z) on it. Older publications used m/e, but as e is the actual charge on an electron and not the number of charges on the ion, the use of m/e was abandoned, m/z. mass-to-charge ratio, a measure of molecular mass PDB. PeeDee Belemnite (a carbon isotope standard see VPDB)... 

In its simplest form, a mass spectrometer is an instmment that measures the mass-to-charge ratios ml of ions formed when a sample is ionized by one of a number of different ionization methods (1). If some of the sample molecules are singly ionized and reach the ion detector without fragmenting, then the ml ratio of these ions gives a direct measurement of the molecular weight. The first instmment for positive ray analysis was built by Thompson (2) in 1913 to show the existence of isotopic forms of the stable elements. Later, mass spectrometers were used for precision measurements of ionic mass and abundances (3,4). 

A mass spectrometer consists of four basic parts a sample inlet system, an ion source, a means of separating ions according to the mass-to-charge ratios, ie, a mass analyzer, and an ion detection system. AdditionaUy, modem instmments are usuaUy suppUed with a data system for instmment control, data acquisition, and data processing. Only a limited number of combinations of these four parts are compatible and thus available commercially (Table 1). 

In Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS), a solid specimen, placed in a vacuum, is bombarded with a narrow beam of ions, called primary ions, that are suffi-ciendy energedc to cause ejection (sputtering) of atoms and small clusters of atoms from the bombarded region. Some of the atoms and atomic clusters are ejected as ions, called secondary ions. The secondary ions are subsequently accelerated into a mass spectrometer, where they are separated according to their mass-to-charge ratio and counted. The relative quantities of the measured secondary ions are converted to concentrations, by comparison with standards, to reveal the composition and trace impurity content of the specimen as a function of sputtering dme (depth). 

Spark Source Mass Spectrometry (SSMS) is a method of trace level analysis—less than 1 part per million atomic (ppma)—in which a solid material, in the form of two conducting electrodes, is vaporized and ionized by a high-voltage radio frequency spark in vacuum. The ions produced from the sample electrodes are accelerated into a mass spectrometer, separated according to their mass-to-charge ratio, and collected for qualitative identification and quantitative analysis. 

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