Mass Spectrometry

Spectroscopy?s annual overview presents new instrumentation that was introduced at the Pittsburgh Conference and Exposition on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy (PittCon), held this year March 10?13 in Orlando, Florida.

Often, mass spectra of compounds found in water supplies are not found in mass spectral libraries. Ion composition elucidation (ICE) provides the elemental compositions of the ions observed in their mass spectra. This information is used to identify the compounds.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy helps to detect explosives, chemical agents, and bioweapons.

A fiber-optic, mid-IR spectroscopy probe combined with a grazing-angle reflectance sampling head can be used as a solvent-free, in situ method for validating cleanliness with substantial improvement in accuracy, compared with traditional methods.

This article provides a brief overview of some of the latest spectroscopy-related equipment and supplies that were shown at the 2003 Photonics West conference at the San Jose Convention Center, San Jose, CA, January 25?31, 2003.

The authors begin a new series of columns about derivatives of spectra.

This installment of the ongoing series discusses performance qualification of software in regard to system requirements.

The University of Leicester?s Space Research Centre has begun to assemble a database for use by all planetary scientists and engineers in the analysis of rocky planets, moons, and asteroids.

A look at spectroscopists' incomes and attitudes about their jobs.

Two orbiting spacecraft are already gathering information about Mars, and another orbiter and three surface landers are ready for launch ? all this in a year when the red planet will be closer to Earth than it has been since prehistoric times.

This article looks at estimated growth in spectroscopy sectors for 2003.

After nearly three decades and three spacecaft landings on the surface of Mars, we still do not know what the rocks are made of . . .

The CETAC LSX-500 Laser Ablation System is suitable for trace element microanalysis of virtually any solid sample. Here CETAC Technologies describes the use of the LSX-500 for elemental analysis of inks on paper. For more information, visit the company's website at www.cetac.com.

The process of structural identification is often dynamic, requiring multiple revisions of partial structures before arriving at the final structure. A process coupling the capabilities of mass spectrometry, NMR, and other techniques is described. For more information, contact the company's website at www.acdlabs.com.

Columnist David Ball explores Mössbauer spectroscopy.

Columnist David Ball explores Mössbauer spectroscopy.

This article discusses the principles of unilateral nuclear magnetic resonance with applications to elastomers and nondestructive in situ inspection of a wet fresco from ancient Rome.

An installment of the Mass Spectrometry forum column.

A "Technical Note" article.

This installment of the Tutorial series focuses on three important sampling approaches: electrothermal vaporization, desolvation systems, and chromatographic separation devices.

An installment of the Focus on Quality column.

Part 14 of the ongoing series.

This study investigates the applicability of a quadrupole-based ICP-MS fitted with a dynamic reaction cell (DRC) to analyze high-purity phosphoric and sulfuric acid used in the semiconductor industry. It compares the DRC approach with traditional ICP-MS background reduction techniques to compensate for phosphorus- and sulfur-based interferences and presents data that suggests that the DRC technology can reach the next generation of semiconductor purity levels for these chemicals.

There is far more matter than antimatter in our universe, but scientists don?t know enough about the properties of antimatter to understand why. By spectroscopically analyzing atoms created when antiprotons collide with helium, physicists at CERN are measuring the properties of antimatter with unprecedented accuracy.

An index of articles and authors appearing in Spectroscopy's 2002 issues.