mass spectrometry

Chemistry

(noun)

An analytical technique that measures the mass:charge ratio of the ions formed when a molecule or atom is ionized, vaporized, and introduced to a vacuum; may also involve breaking molecules into fragments, enabling structure to be determined.

Related Terms

  • nuclear magnetic resonance
  • photosynthesis
  • isotope

(noun)

An analytical technique that measures the mass:charge ratio of the ions formed when a molecule or atom is ionized, vaporized, and introduced into a vacuum; may also involve breaking molecules into fragments, enabling structure to be determined.

Related Terms

  • nuclear magnetic resonance
  • photosynthesis
  • isotope
Microbiology

(noun)

An analytical technique that measures the mass/charge ratio of the ions formed when a molecule or atom is ionized, vaporized, and introduced into a vacuum. Mass spectrometry may also involve breaking molecules into fragments - thus enabling its structure to be determined.

Related Terms

  • metabolomics
  • proteomics
  • genomics
  • Affinity chromatography
  • metabolite

(noun)

Analytical method that allows ionizing molecules and sorting them according to their mass and charge.

Related Terms

  • metabolomics
  • proteomics
  • genomics
  • Affinity chromatography
  • metabolite

Examples of mass spectrometry in the following topics:

  • Structural Determination

    • Structural determination using isotopes is often performed using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry.
    • Structural determination utilizing isotopes is often performed using two analytical techniques: nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and mass spectrometry (MS).
    • Mass spectrometry is a technique for determining the molecular weight of an ionized molecule and fragments of the molecule that appear when the molecule is ionized.
    • Mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance detect the difference in an isotope's mass, while infrared spectroscopy detects the difference in the isotope's vibrational modes.
    • Nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry are used to investigate the mechanisms of chemical reactions.
  • Study of Photosynthesis

    • Mass spectrometry has been used to study the ratio of carbon isotopes in various plants to understand the mechanisms of photosynthesis.
    • Mass spectrometry has been used to study the ratio of isotopes in various plants to understand the mechanisms of photosynthesis.
  • Metabolomics

    • GC-MS is a method that combines the features of gas-liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry to identify different substances within a test sample.
    • Further, it was noted that further progress in the field was in large part the result of addressing otherwise "irresolvable technical challenges" through technical evolution of mass spectrometry instrumentation.
    • Separation methods: Gas chromatography, especially when interfaced with mass spectrometry (GC-MS), is one of the most widely used and powerful methods.
    • Detection methods: Mass spectrometry (MS) is used to identify and to quantify metabolites after separation.
    • Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is a method that combines the features of gas-liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry to identify different substances within a test sample.
  • Mass Spectrometry to Measure Mass

    • Mass spectrometry is a powerful characterization method that identifies elements, isotopes, and compounds based on mass-to-charge ratios.
    • Mass spectrometry (MS) is a powerful technique that can identify a wide variety of chemical compounds.
    • Mass spectrometers separate compounds based on a property known as the mass-to-charge ratio: the mass of the atom divided by its charge.
    • Depending on the information desired from mass spectrometry analysis, different ionization techniques may be used.
    • Mass analyzers separate the ions according to their mass-to-charge ratios.
  • High Resolution Spectra

    • In assigning mass values to atoms and molecules, we have assumed integral values for isotopic masses.
    • Thus, relative to 12C at 12.0000, the isotopic mass of 16O is 15.9949 amu (not 16) and 14N is 14.0031 amu (not 14).
    • By designing mass spectrometers that can determine m/z values accurately to four decimal places, it is possible to distinguish different formulas having the same nominal mass.
    • Mass spectrometry therefore not only provides a specific molecular mass value, but it may also establish the molecular formula of an unknown compound.
    • Tables of precise mass values for any molecule or ion are available in libraries; however, the mass calculator provided below serves the same purpose.
  • Basic Techniques in Protein Analysis

    • The basic techniques used to analyze proteins are mass spectrometry, x-ray crystallography, NMR, and protein microarrays.
    • The basic technique for protein analysis, analogous to DNA sequencing, is mass spectrometry.
    • Mass spectrometry is used to identify and determine the characteristics of a molecule .
    • If the mass is measured with precision, then the composition of the molecule can be identified.
    • Mass spectrometry can be used in protein analysis.
  • Mapping Protein-Protein Interactions

    • The most widely employed tools are the yeast two-hybrid system and affinity purification coupled to mass spectrometry.
    • Affinity purification of protein complexes coupled to mass spectrometry is carried out as follows: a specific protein (the bait) is manipulated to express an affinity tag.
    • Peptides are identified using mass spectrometry methods.
  • Mass Spectrometer

    • Mass spectrometry (MS) is the art of displaying the spectra (singular spectrum) of the masses of a sample of material.
    • Mass spectrometers, as diagramed in , separate compounds based on a property known as the mass-to-charge ratio.
    • Since the acceleration of a charge is dependent on the mass and strength of the charge, a lighter mass-to-charge ratio will not travel as far as a high mass-to-charge ratio, allowing for comparison of the physical properties of different particles.
    • The elements or molecules are uniquely identified by correlating known masses by the identified masses.
    • Schematics of a simple mass spectrometer with sector type mass analyzer.
  • Proteomics

    • While proteomics generally refers to the large-scale experimental analysis of proteins, it is often specifically used for protein purification and mass spectrometry.
    • New methods include protein microarrays, immunoaffinity, and chromatography followed by mass spectrometry , dual polarisation interferometry, Microscale Thermophoresis, and experimental methods such as phage display and computational methods.
    • Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) is a soft ionization technique used in mass spectrometry.
  • Examples and Applications

    • with the relativistic mass m and its charge q.
    • Mass spectrometry is an analytical technique that measures the mass-to-charge ratio of charged particles.
    • Mass analyzers separate the ions according to their mass-to-charge ratio.
    • The mass spectrometer will segregate the particles spatially allowing a detector to measure the mass-to-charge ratio of each particle.
    • Schematics of a simple mass spectrometer with sector type mass analyzer.
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