Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Isotopes and Radioisotopes01:28

Isotopes and Radioisotopes

In the early 1900s, English chemist Frederick Soddy realized that an element could have atoms with different masses that were chemically indistinguishable. These different types are called isotopes — atoms of the same element that differ in mass. Isotopes differ in mass because they have different numbers of neutrons but are chemically identical because they have the same number of protons. Soddy was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1921 for this discovery.
An isotope containing more...
Mass Spectrometry: Isotope Effect01:13

Mass Spectrometry: Isotope Effect

Most elements exist in nature as a mixture of isotopes. The isotopes differ in weight due to their respective number of neutrons. The molecular weight of a molecule is different depending on the specific isotope of its elements involved. As a result, the mass spectrum of the molecule exhibits peaks from the same fragment at multiple positions. The positions of these mass signals depend on the mass differences between isotopes. Furthermore, the intensity of these signals is dependent on the...
Isotopes01:12

Isotopes

Elements have a set number of protons that determines their atomic number (Z). For example, all atoms with eight protons are oxygen; however, the number of neutrons can vary for atoms of the same element. The sum of the number of protons and the number of neutrons is the mass number (A). Atoms with the same atomic number but different mass numbers are called isotopes. Elements can have multiple isotopes, for example, carbon-12, carbon-13, and carbon-14.
An element's atomic mass, or weight, is a...
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin State Population Distribution01:14

Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin State Population Distribution

Near absolute zero temperatures, in the presence of a magnetic field, the majority of nuclei prefer the lower energy spin-up state to the higher energy spin-down state. As temperatures increase, the energy from thermal collisions distributes the spins more equally between the two states. The Boltzmann distribution equation gives the ratio of the number of spins predicted in the spin −½ (N−) and spin +½ (N+) states.
¹³C NMR: ¹H–¹³C Decoupling01:04

¹³C NMR: ¹H–¹³C Decoupling

The probability of having two carbon-13 atoms next to each other is negligible because of the low natural abundance of carbon-13. Consequently, peak splitting due to carbon-carbon spin-spin coupling is not observed in spectra. However, protons up to three sigma bonds away split the carbon signal according to the n+1 rule, resulting in complicated spectra.
A broadband decoupling technique is used to simplify these complex, sometimes overlapping, signals. Broadband decoupling relies on a...
Radioactivity and Nuclear Equations03:18

Radioactivity and Nuclear Equations

Nuclear chemistry is the study of reactions that involve changes in nuclear structure. The nucleus of an atom is composed of protons and, except for hydrogen, neutrons. The number of protons in the nucleus is called the atomic number (Z) of the element, and the sum of the number of protons and the number of neutrons is the mass number (A). Atoms with the same atomic number but different mass numbers are isotopes of the same element.
A nuclide of an element has a specific number of protons and...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Hierarchy of MS-Based Evidence.

Journal of proteome research·2026
Same author

bio.tools: an expanded web service for research software in the life sciences.

Nucleic acids research·2026
Same author

Open and sustainable AI: challenges, opportunities and the road ahead in the life sciences.

Nature methods·2026
Same author

Tackling vaccine hyporesponsiveness through global collaboration, diverse population studies, and data integration.

The Lancet. Microbe·2025
Same author

Semantic annotation of Glycomics and Glycoproteomics methods.

Glycobiology·2025
Same author

Brief Evaluation of Olink Reveal Proximity Extension Assay for High-Throughput Proteomics: A Case Study Using NIST SRM 1950 and Two Spike-In Protein Standards.

Journal of proteome research·2025
Same journal

Nanotechnology-Stem Cell Strategies in 3D Glioblastoma Organoid: Targeting Glioma Stem Cells Within a Complex Tumor Microenvironment.

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)·2026
Same journal

Mapping the 3D Chromosome Organization of a Biosynthetic Gene Cluster by Capture Hi-C (CHi-C).

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)·2026
Same journal

Mapping the 3D Chromosome Organization of Streptomyces by Hi-C.

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)·2026
Same journal

CUT&Tag Epigenomic Profiling of Biosynthetic Gene Clusters in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)·2026
Same journal

Rhizobium rhizogenes-Mediated Hairy Root Transformation Protocol for Lotus japonicus and Other Legumes.

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)·2026
Same journal

Characterization of Bioactive Saponins from Sea Cucumbers.

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 11, 2026

Workflow Based on the Combination of Isotopic Tracer Experiments to Investigate Microbial Metabolism of Multiple Nutrient Sources
12:47

Workflow Based on the Combination of Isotopic Tracer Experiments to Investigate Microbial Metabolism of Multiple Nutrient Sources

Published on: January 22, 2018

Isotopic distributions.

Alan L Rockwood1, Magnus Palmblad

  • 1Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.

Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|May 14, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Mass spectrometry utilizes isotopic information for diverse applications, including chemical composition analysis and isotope labeling studies. This paper reviews computational methods essential for calculating isotopic patterns in mass spectrometry research.

More Related Videos

Preparing an Isotopically Pure 229Th Ion Beam for Studies of 229mTh
10:42

Preparing an Isotopically Pure 229Th Ion Beam for Studies of 229mTh

Published on: May 3, 2019

Cellular Lipid Extraction for Targeted Stable Isotope Dilution Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Analysis
09:26

Cellular Lipid Extraction for Targeted Stable Isotope Dilution Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Analysis

Published on: November 17, 2011

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 11, 2026

Workflow Based on the Combination of Isotopic Tracer Experiments to Investigate Microbial Metabolism of Multiple Nutrient Sources
12:47

Workflow Based on the Combination of Isotopic Tracer Experiments to Investigate Microbial Metabolism of Multiple Nutrient Sources

Published on: January 22, 2018

Preparing an Isotopically Pure 229Th Ion Beam for Studies of 229mTh
10:42

Preparing an Isotopically Pure 229Th Ion Beam for Studies of 229mTh

Published on: May 3, 2019

Cellular Lipid Extraction for Targeted Stable Isotope Dilution Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Analysis
09:26

Cellular Lipid Extraction for Targeted Stable Isotope Dilution Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Analysis

Published on: November 17, 2011

Area of Science:

  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Physical Chemistry

Background:

  • Mass spectrometry provides crucial isotopic information applicable to various scientific fields.
  • Isotopic applications are broadly categorized into passive (using natural abundance) and active (manipulated distributions) types.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review diverse applications of isotopic information in mass spectrometry.
  • To discuss computational approaches for calculating isotopic patterns, a common requirement across applications.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on mass spectrometry applications involving isotopic data.
  • Categorization of applications into passive and active types.
  • Discussion of computational strategies for theoretical isotopic pattern calculation.

Main Results:

  • Identified chemical composition determination as a key passive application.
  • Highlighted isotope exchange and labeling for tracing and quantitation as active applications.
  • Emphasized the universal need for theoretical isotopic pattern calculations.

Conclusions:

  • Isotopic analysis via mass spectrometry is versatile, spanning passive and active applications.
  • Effective theoretical calculation of isotopic patterns is fundamental for advancing mass spectrometry research.
  • This review consolidates application examples and computational methods for isotopic studies.