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Mass Spectrometers

Mass Spectrometers

This lesson details the instrumentation of a mass spectrometer—a physical instrument to perform mass spectrometry on analyte molecules and record the characteristic mass spectra. This is achieved via three chief functions:

MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry

MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry

Mass spectrometry is a powerful characterization technique that can identify and separate a wide variety of compounds ranging from chemical to biological entities, based on their mass-to-charge ratio (m/z). The instruments that allow this detection, known as mass spectrometers, have three components: an ion source, a mass analyzer, and a detector. These spectrometers differ based on the nature of their ion source and analyzers.Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) is a commonly...

Mass Spectrum: Interpretation

Mass Spectrum: Interpretation

An unknown compound can be established by identifying the molecular ion peak in the mass spectrum. The molecular ion peak is often weak or absent due to the predominance of fragmentation in high-energy electron beams. In such cases, a soft-energy electron beam can be used to scan the spectrum to enhance the intensity of the molecular ion peak. Additionally, chemical ionization, field ionization, and desorption ionization spectra are used to obtain a relatively intense molecular ion peak.To...

Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Tandem mass spectrometry is a technique that uses multiple mass analyzers in series to obtain a higher selectivity and reduce chemical noise during analyte detection. Instruments with multiple analyzers separated by an interaction cell enable secondary fragmentation and selected study of the fragment ions.Secondary fragmentations occur in the interaction cell and can be induced by various factors. Fragmentation induced by collision with inert gases, such as N2, Ar, He, etc., is called...

Mass Spectrometry: Overview

Mass Spectrometry: Overview

Mass spectrometry is an analytical technique used to determine the molecular mass and molecular formula of a compound. The basic principle of mass spectrometry is to generate ions from the analyte molecule and measure these ion abundances against their molecular mass. One common type of ionization, known as electron ionization or EI, bombards the analyte molecules in the gas phase with high-energy electron beams. The electron beams displace an electron from the molecule and leave behind a...

Mass Spectrometry: Complex Analysis

Mass Spectrometry: Complex Analysis

Mass spectrometry is an important technique for the identification of pure compounds. However, it has some limitations for the analysis of complex mixtures, often due to excessive fragmentation making the spectrum too complicated to decipher. Mass spectrometry can be combined with suitable separation methods in sequence, forming hyphenated methods, which are useful in the analysis of complex mixtures.
GC–MS is a powerful hyphenated method commonly used in forensics and environmental...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Improved Polymerase Chain Reaction-restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Genotyping of Toxic Pufferfish by Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry

Improved Polymerase Chain Reaction-restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Genotyping of Toxic Pufferfish by Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry

Published on: September 20, 2016

Mass spectrometry: m/z 1983-2008.

Ming Zhou¹, Timothy Veenstra

¹Laboratory of Proteomics and Analytical Technologies, Advanced Technology Program, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC)-Frederick, Inc., National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA.

|May 14, 2008

Summary

Mass spectrometry (MS) has rapidly advanced over 25 years, becoming a leading analytical technique. Key developments like electrospray and MALDI have significantly enhanced its protein analysis capabilities in proteomics.

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Last Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Improved Polymerase Chain Reaction-restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Genotyping of Toxic Pufferfish by Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry

Improved Polymerase Chain Reaction-restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Genotyping of Toxic Pufferfish by Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry

Published on: September 20, 2016

Analyzing Large Protein Complexes by Structural Mass Spectrometry

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The Terroir Concept Interpreted through Grape Berry Metabolomics and Transcriptomics

The Terroir Concept Interpreted through Grape Berry Metabolomics and Transcriptomics

Published on: October 5, 2016

Area of Science:

Analytical Chemistry
Biochemistry
Proteomics

Background:

Mass spectrometry (MS) is a crucial analytical technique.
Its application in proteomics has driven significant advancements.
The past 25 years have seen remarkable growth and evolution in MS technology.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the historical development of mass spectrometry over the last 25 years.
To highlight key technological advancements and their impact on proteomics.
To discuss the evolution of MS instrumentation and its capabilities.

Main Methods:

Review of historical data and literature on mass spectrometry.
Analysis of trends in MS instrumentation sensitivity and performance.
Focus on the impact of electrospray ionization (ESI) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) techniques.

Main Results:

Mass spectrometry instrumentation sensitivity has increased approximately 5-fold every three years.
Electrospray and MALDI have been pivotal in expanding MS applications.
Current MS performance enables unprecedented protein analysis for scientific study.

Conclusions:

Mass spectrometry has transformed proteomics over the past quarter-century.
Continued innovation in MS technology promises further breakthroughs in biological sciences.
The review underscores the critical role of MS in modern scientific research.