ATOMIC STRUCTURE Flashcards
what can mass spec be used for?
find the abundance and mass of each isotope in an element allowing us to determine its
relative atomic mass
find the relative molecular mass of substances made of molecules.
what happens in ToF mass spec?
particles of the substance are ionised to form 1+ ions which are accelerated so
that they all have the same kinetic energy.
The time taken to travel a fixed distance is then
used to find the mass of each ion in the sample.
what are the 2 ways of ionising a sample?
- electron spray
- electron gun
describe the steps in electron impact ionisation?
1- The sample being analysed is vaporised and then high energy electrons are fired at it.
2- The
high energy electrons come from an ‘electron gun’ which is a hot wire filament with a current
running through it that emits electrons.
3- This usually knocks off one electron from each
particle forming a 1+ ion.
4-The 1+ ions are then attracted towards a negative electric plate where they are accelerated.
what is the equation for an element being analysed via electron impact?
X(g) –> X+(g) + e–
why do we use electron impact ionisation to ionise some molecules?
This technique is used for elements and substances with low formula mass (that can be
inorganic or organic molecules).
what is the product formed from electron impact ionisation
When molecules are ionised in this way, the 1+ ion formed is
known as a molecular ion
what other than molecular ions appear on the mass spec?
The molecular ion often breaks down into smaller fragments some of which are also detected
in the mass spectrum.
describe the steps of electron spray ionisation
1- The sample X is dissolved in a volatile solvent (eg water or methanol) and injected through a
fine hypodermic needle to give a fine mist (aerosol).
2- The tip of the needle is attached to the
positive terminal of a high-voltage power supply.
3- The particles are ionised by gaining a proton
(ie an H+ ion which is simply one proton) from the solvent as they leave the needle producing XH+
ions (ions with a single positive charge and a mass of Mr + 1).
4- The solvent evaporates away while the XH+
ions are attracted towards a negative plate where
they are accelerated.
what is the equation for samples being analysed by electron spray?
X(g) + H+ –> XH+(g)
what types of substances do we use electron spray to analyse?
This technique is used for many substances with higher molecular mass including many
biological molecules such as proteins.
This is known as a ‘soft’ ionisation technique and
fragmentation rarely takes place.
what are the 4 stages of ToF?
1- ionisation
2-acceleration
3-flight tube
4-detection
how are positive ions accelerated?
using an electric field?
why are positive ions accelerated?
so that they all have the same kinetic
energy.
what does this equation stand for and what are the units:
KE = 1/2mv^2?
KE = kinetic energy of particle (J) m = mass of the particle (kg) 𝑣 = velocity of the particle (m s–1)
make velocity the subject of this equation KE = 1/2mv^2?
𝒗 = √(𝟐𝑲𝑬)/m
when particles have the same energy, what does velocity depend on?
its mass
how does mass of a particle effect its speed?
Lighter particles have a faster velocity, and heavier particles have a slower
velocity.
how do the positive ions travel through through the flight tube?
The positive ions travel through a hole in the negatively charged plate into a tube.
what does the ToF of each particle depend on?
The time of
flight of each particle through this flight tube depends on its velocity which in turn depends on
its mass.