The nuclear atom - interpreting mass spectra

Question 1

What is a mass spectrometer?

Answer 1

An instrument used to detect the relative abundance of isotopes in a sample

Question 2

What are the basic processes of mass spectrometry?

Answer 2

• the sample is vapourised
• the sample is ionised to form positive ions
• the ions are accelerated
• each ion produces a signal which is detected as a mass-to-charge ratio, written as m / e

Question 3

What can mass spectra be used for?

Answer 3

The mass spectra produced can be used to calculate the relative atomic mass of an element and its isotopes.