Mass spectrometry. Part I

At the end of this activity, students should be able to:
– discuss the behaviour of charged particles in electric and magnetic fields
– relate the deflection of a charged particle in a magnetic field to the mass and charge of the particle and the strength of the magnetic field
– describe how a mass spectrometer works
– explain what a mass spectrum is
– explain the terms: base peak, molecular ion, fragmentation ion, relative abundance
– discuss mass spectra of the elements in terms of the natural abundance of isotopes
– explain the general features of mass spectra of organic compounds.