Description

Mass Spectrometers are instruments which can identify the type of molecules in a sample by creating ions from the specimen molecules. These ions are then accelerated via an electric field and then passed through a magnetic field, which classifies them according to their mass to charge ratio (m/z). The act of creating ions often causes the molecules to be broken into charged fragments which are characteristic of the original substance. The mass of each fragment will be displayed in the form of a spectral plot, and then the compound's mass spectrum can be used for qualitative identification.