Mass spectrometry is an important technique for identifying the structure of substances, with applications covering air and water pollution detection, chemical and biomedical research, food and drug testing, and cosmetics inspection.

The spectrum that is generally familiar represents the signal intensity of various wavelengths in the target light source. Similarly, mass spectrometry represents the signal intensity of various elements of different masses in the sample. Mass spectrometry has different applications in qualitative and quantitative aspects, including identifying unknown compounds (determining the isotopic composition of a molecular element and determining the structure of the compound by observing its fragments), quantifying the amount of compounds in a sample, or studying the fundamental principles of gas-phase ion chemistry, etc.

The three major mass spectrometry techniques in chemical analysis (ICP-MS/ GC-MS/ LC-MS) can all be provided by MA-tek.

Technical Principles

The instrument used to measure mass spectrometry is called a mass spectrometer, and its structure includes three main parts: the ion source, the mass analyzer, and the detector. The basic principle of mass spectrometry analysis is to ionize the components in the sample in the ion source, generating positively charged ions with different mass-to-charge ratios, which, after the action of the acceleration electric field, form an ion beam and enter the mass analyzer.

In the mass analyzer, different ions with varying mass-to-charge ratios are separated in space or time using electric or magnetic fields, or by filtering methods, allowing them to be focused onto the detector to obtain a mass spectrum, thereby acquiring spectra related to mass and concentration (or partial pressure). There are many types of mass spectrometers, which can be broadly classified into the following categories from an application perspective:

• Organic mass spectrometers, such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), etc.
• Inorganic mass spectrometers, such as Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS), etc.
• Other types of mass spectrometers, such as electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry, etc.

Analysis Application

With the development of mass spectrometry technology, its application fields are becoming increasingly broad. Due to the advantages of mass spectrometry analysis, such as high sensitivity, low sample consumption, fast analysis speed, and simultaneous separation and measurement, mass spectrometry is widely used in fields such as geological science, semiconductors, clinical medicine, petrochemicals, food and pharmaceuticals, forensic science, life sciences, and materials research.

 

Common analysis items include trace element contamination on wafer surfaces, material composition and component testing, additive determination, gas release testing, molecular weight determination of organic molecules, etc.