Mass spectrometry is a technique used to determine the mass and abundance of isotopes in a sample. It involves ionizing the sample, separating the ions based on their mass-to-charge ratio, and detecting them to create a mass spectrum.
Related terms
Isotope: Atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons.
Mass spectrum: A graph showing the distribution of ions according to their mass-to-charge ratio.
Abundance: The relative amount or proportion of an isotope compared to others in a sample.