How Mass Spectrometer Works

Almost all of the compounds, whether organic or inorganic, have their chemical
formulas determined through a very smart device called mass spectrometer, not only it
determines the chemical formula of a substance but also it determines the isotopes of a given
element, with their quantified abundances. Now it gets interesting to know what is going on
inside a mass spectrometer that can determine most of the intricate properties of a certain
substance.
A mass spectrometer connected to two or more computers is set in the laboratory. An
unknown substance, whose identity we are about to know, is vaporized, whether it be solid or
liquid. The substance is then introduced into a tube, the first part of the device. Through the
Ionizing electron beam, the substance is bombarded by a stream of high-energy electrons
which further changes the substance into ions, mostly with a charge of 1+. The particles are
then inserted into the accelerating grid. Inside it, the particles are accelerated towards a
negatively charged end of the grid. Then, the particles pass through two very narrow slits which
allow only a very narrow beam of particles to pass. This beam then passes through a magnetic
field. Given that they have charge, their movement can be influenced, thus, deflected. The
amount of the deflection of the particles is related to the particles’ mass, so the particles are
then segregated accordingly. The amount of particles that lie in each detector versus the total
amount of the sample before the quantification had been started is then measured by a
computer with informative graphs which are called the Mass Spectrum. Through more
computer analyses, the percentage composition of the substance is then determined.
A parallel function of the mass spectrometer is the determination of the isotopes of an
element. The same process is used until the portion of the test reaches the measuring of the
amount of the particles’ deflection. Through the signal intensities, the abundance of the isotope
of an element is determined, and with the use of computer technology, the atomic weight of
that element can be measured.
How nice it is to think that this device allows the teachers to discuss different isotopes
of an element and to share different chemical compounds in nature with their properties. This
mass spectrometry (a process using mass spectrometer) is highly owed by Chemists, teachers,
and especially the Chemical Engineering students.