Page 5 - Inorganic Mass Spectrometry - Fundamentals and Applications

The aim of this book is twofold: to introduce the topic of inorganic mass spec-
trometry to the nonpractitioner of the technique and to familiarize those conver-
sant with it with recent developments in some of the foremost laboratories in the
world. The book should be of value to industry, academia, and government labora-
tory staff and should appeal to both national and inte~ation~ audiences. It is
written so that a college senior majoring in the sciences can follow the discussion
but has enough technical sophistication to keep it the benchmark for books in this
field for the next decade.
This book describes the fundamental operating characteristics of the most
common inorganic mass spectrometers. At the heart of this discussion is a descrip-
tion of the various ionization sources that generate a representative analyte popu-
lation for mass analysis. The initial chapters introduce the mass spectromet~c
hardware that separates the ionized fractions of analytes, one mass from another.
The detection schemes used to measure this ion population, and the data process-
ing systems that permit this information to be of value to the chemical analyst, are
also discussed.
Modern mass spectrometers are usually one of four types: magnetic sector,
quadrupole, time-of-flight, or ion trap. A brief introduction to each is provided.
Classical applications are discussed to illustrate how these devices have shaped
the landscape of elemental and isotopic chemical analysis.
The first two chapters were written by members of the research staff of Oak
Ridge National Laboratory, Because each type of inorganic mass spectrometer has
been extensively reviewed in the literature, only short discussions of the funda-
mentals, ins~mentation, and classical applications are given. Theory is covered
to an appropriate extent.
The balance of the book is composed of chapters authored by some of the
leading experts in the field of inorganic mass spectrometry. The focus of this
section is specialized topics, with emphasis on new developments in the field in
the last 10 years. The final chapters focus on what we believe will be the future of
inorganic mass Spectrometry.
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