Mass spectrum

Electron ionization mass spectrum of toluene [1].
Note parent peak corresponding to molecular mass M = 92 (C7H8+) and highest peak at M-1 = 91 (C7H7+, quasi-stable tropylium cation).

A mass spectrum is a histogram plot of intensity vs. mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) in a chemical sample,[1] usually acquired using an instrument called a mass spectrometer. Not all mass spectra of a given substance are the same; for example, some mass spectrometers break the analyte molecules into fragments; others observe the intact molecular masses with little fragmentation. A mass spectrum can represent many different types of information based on the type of mass spectrometer and the specific experiment applied. Common fragmentation processes for organic molecules are the McLafferty rearrangement and alpha cleavage. Straight chain alkanes and alkyl groups produce a typical series of peaks: 29 (CH3CH2+), 43 (CH3CH2CH2+), 57 (CH3CH2CH2CH2+), 71 (CH3CH2CH2CH2CH2+) etc.[2]

  1. ^ IUPAC, Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 2nd ed. (the "Gold Book") (1997). Online corrected version: (2006–) "mass spectrum". doi:10.1351/goldbook.M03749
  2. ^ Turecek, František; McLafferty, Fred W. (1993). Interpretation of mass spectra. Sausalito, Calif: University Science Books. pp. 226-. ISBN 0-935702-25-3.

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