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Related Concept Videos

Isotopes and Radioisotopes01:28

Isotopes and Radioisotopes

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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...
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Mass Spectrometry: Isotope Effect01:13

Mass Spectrometry: Isotope Effect

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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...
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Isotopes01:12

Isotopes

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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,...
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Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin State Population Distribution01:14

Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin State Population Distribution

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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.
2.3K
¹³C NMR: ¹H–¹³C Decoupling01:04

¹³C NMR: ¹H–¹³C Decoupling

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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...
1.8K
High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS)01:15

High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS)

2.4K
The resolution of a mass spectrometer depends on the efficiency of separating ions with different ion masses. The mass of an atom is approximated to the sum of the masses of protons and neutrons inside, considering the masses of protons and neutrons as equal. However, the masses of the proton (1.6726 × 10−24 g) and neutron (1.6749 × 10−24 g) are not truly equal. There is a minor error in the expression of atomic masses relative to the simplest atom of hydrogen. For...
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Updated: Jan 19, 2026

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

Alan L Rockwood1, Magnus Palmblad2

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

Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|September 26, 2019
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Mass spectrometry uses isotopic information for passive applications like chemical analysis and active applications such as isotope tracing. Calculating theoretical isotopic patterns is crucial for both, enabling diverse scientific investigations.

Keywords:
IsotopesIsotopic distributionsMass spectrometry

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Area of Science:

  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Physical Chemistry

Background:

  • Mass spectrometry (MS) provides valuable isotopic information applicable to various scientific fields.
  • Isotopic applications in MS are broadly categorized into passive (using natural isotopes) and active (manipulating isotopic distributions).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review diverse applications of isotopic information in mass spectrometry.
  • To discuss computational approaches for calculating theoretical isotopic patterns, essential for MS analyses.

Main Methods:

  • The review covers passive applications, including chemical composition determination via isotopic pattern matching.
  • Active applications discussed encompass isotope exchange experiments and isotope labeling for tracing and quantitation.

Main Results:

  • Theoretical calculation of isotopic patterns is a common requirement across both passive and active MS applications.
  • The chapter highlights the indispensable role of computational methods in interpreting isotopic data.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding and calculating isotopic patterns are fundamental to leveraging mass spectrometry for chemical analysis and tracer studies.
  • This review underscores the broad utility and computational underpinnings of isotopic studies in mass spectrometry.