Lesson 34 - Identification of Isotopes in Mass Spectrum

Isotopes

Different types of atoms of the same chemical element, each having a different number of neutrons.

Mass Spectrum

A graphical representation of the mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) of ions.

Carbon Dating

A technique used to determine the age of organic materials by measuring the ratio of carbon-12 to carbon-14.

Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS)

Specialization of mass spectrometry used to measure the relative abundance of isotopes in a given sample.

M+ Peak

The peak in a mass spectrum corresponding to the molecular ion of the compound.

M+2 Peak

The peak in a mass spectrum that indicates the presence of isotopes, usually two mass units higher than the M+ peak.

Chlorine Isotopes

Chlorine has two stable isotopes: 35Cl and 37Cl.

Bromine Isotopes

Bromine has two stable isotopes: 79Br and 81Br.

Fragment Ion

An ion formed from the fragmentation of a larger ion during mass spectrometry.

Base Peak

The most intense peak in a mass spectrum, often used as a reference point.

M+4 Peak

A peak in the mass spectrum that indicates the presence of two isotopes of a halogen, such as several bromine or chlorine atoms.

Relative Abundance

The proportion of a particular isotope compared to the total amount of all isotopes.