MS - Mass spectrometer general

A mass spectrometer is a device to determine the mass of atoms or molecules at a known charge. As a result you get a so called mass spectrum. This is a graphical representation of the intensity of the ions as a function of the mass-to-charge ratio. A mass spectrometer basically contains the following three components: The ion source, the analyzer and the detector. Mass spectroscopy is used, for example, in the following fields: Biology: in biology, mass spectroscopy is used in so-called proteomics (= research of proteins in living organisms) and metabolomics (= research of metabolic properties). Chemistry: Analysis for the determination of chemical elements or compounds. Qualitative (detection of unknown substances) and quantitative (amount of a substance in a compound) are possible. Physics: Measurement of isotopic composition of chemical elements and determination of mass of atomic nuclei. Archaeology: Analysis of isotope ratios in bones. Among other things, this allows conclusions to be drawn about a person’s diet.