massaspektrometrisissa

Mass spectrometry is an analytical technique used to measure the mass-to-charge ratio of ions. It is widely employed in chemistry, physics, biology, and medicine for identifying and quantifying unknown compounds, determining the isotopic composition of materials, and elucidating the structure of molecules. The process typically involves three main stages: ionization of the sample, separation of the ions based on their mass-to-charge ratio, and detection of the separated ions.

Various ionization techniques exist, each suited for different types of samples and analytes. Common methods include electron ionization (EI), chemical ionization (CI), electrospray ionization (ESI), and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI). Following ionization, the ions are accelerated into a mass analyzer, which separates them. Different types of mass analyzers, such as quadrupole, time-of-flight (TOF), and magnetic sector analyzers, utilize distinct physical principles for this separation. Finally, a detector records the abundance of ions at each mass-to-charge ratio, generating a mass spectrum. This spectrum is a plot of ion intensity versus mass-to-charge ratio, providing a unique fingerprint for the analyzed substance. Mass spectrometry is a powerful tool for qualitative and quantitative analysis, with applications ranging from drug discovery and environmental monitoring to proteomics and forensic science.