What is Mass Spec?

Mass spectrometry (MS) is an analytical technique used to measure the mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) of ions. It is commonly used to identify and quantify known and unknown substances, to determine isotopic ratios, and to elucidate the chemical structures of molecules. In a typical MS procedure, a sample is ionized, and the resulting ions are separated according to their m/z and detected. This information can be used to determine the elemental or isotopic signature of a sample, the masses of particles and of molecules, and to identify or quantify chemical substances.