Front

What is mass spectroscopy?

Back

Mass spectroscopy is an analytical technique used to measure the mass-to-charge ratio of ions. It helps identify the composition of a sample by determining the mass of its molecules.

Front

What are isotopes?

Back

Isotopes are variants of a chemical element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons, resulting in different atomic masses.

Front

What is the significance of natural abundance in mass spectroscopy?

Back

Natural abundance refers to the relative proportion of each isotope of an element found in nature. It is important for calculating average atomic mass and interpreting mass spectra.

Front

How do you calculate the average atomic mass of an element?

Back

The average atomic mass is calculated by taking the weighted average of the masses of its isotopes, based on their natural abundances.

Front

What is a mass spectrum?

Back

A mass spectrum is a graphical representation of the mass-to-charge ratios of ions detected in a mass spectrometer, showing the relative abundance of each ion.

Front

What does the peak in a mass spectrum represent?

Back

Each peak in a mass spectrum represents a specific ion, with the height of the peak indicating the relative abundance of that ion.

Front

What is the mass number of an isotope?

Back

The mass number of an isotope is the total number of protons and neutrons in its nucleus.

Front

How do you determine which isotope is more abundant from a mass spectrum?

Back

The most abundant isotope is indicated by the tallest peak in the mass spectrum.

Front

What is the relationship between mass and natural abundance of isotopes?

Back

The mass of an isotope and its natural abundance affect the average atomic mass of an element, as more abundant isotopes contribute more significantly to the average.

Front

What is the role of a mass spectrometer?

Back

A mass spectrometer is an instrument that ionizes chemical species and sorts the ions based on their mass-to-charge ratio, allowing for the analysis of the sample's composition.