Mass Spectroscopy Here is a mass spectrum of

Mass Spectroscopy

Here is a mass spectrum of the element zirconium. It shows the relative abundance of each isotope and can be used to determine the average atomic mass of this element.

Example: Determine the average atomic mass of each of the following and identify the element.

How does a mass spectrometer work?

Gizmo – average atomic mass https: //www. explorelearning. com/index. cfm? method=c. Resource. dsp. V iew&Resource. ID=1088&Class. ID=4745525

How does a mass spectrometer work? A sample of the substance is injected into the machine. The sample is then ionized as only positively charged cations are read by the detector. A common type of ionization method is to use a high-energy electron beam which knocks off a valence electron to form a cation. The cations are then accelerated toward a mass filter which separates them by mass. This is done using a magnet. Particles with less mass are deflected ______ by the magnet, while particles with more mass are deflected _______. The separated particles are caught by a detector which detects and quantifies the separated ions. In this course, we only look at mass spectra of atoms, but mass spectrometry is a valuable tool for many areas of research since more complicated molecules can also be analyzed with it.

Now try the practice AP MC questions on your handout.