Eugen Goldstein discovered in 1886 that rays in gas discharges at low pressure traveled in the opposite direction of negatively charged cathode rays, which travel from cathode to anode, through channels in a perforated cathode. These positively charged anode rays were referred to as Kanalstrahlen by Goldstein; "Canal rays" is the most common English translation of this term. Wilhelm Wien built a device in 1899 with perpendicular electric and magnetic fields that separated the positive rays based on their charge-to-mass ratio (Q/m) after discovering that strong electric or magnetic fields deflected the canal rays. Wien discovered that the discharge tube's gas type affected the charge-to-mass ratio. The mass spectrograph was developed by English scientist Thomson after Wien's work was improved by lessening the pressure to do so. By 1884, the term spectrograph had entered the international scientific vocabulary. Mass spectrographs were early spectrometry instruments that recorded a spectrum of mass values on a photographic plate and measured the mass-to-charge ratio of ions. Similar to a mass spectrograph, a mass spectroscope projects an ion beam onto a phosphor screen. In the early instruments, a mass spectroscope configuration was used when it was desired to quickly observe the effects of adjustments. A photographic plate was inserted and exposed after the instrument had been properly adjusted. Even though indirect measurements with an oscilloscope replaced direct illumination of a phosphor screen, the term mass spectroscope was still used. Due to the risk of confusion with light spectroscopy, the term mass spectroscopy is no longer used. Mass spectrometry is frequently abbreviated as MS or mass-spec.

Arthur and Aston created the modern mass spectrometry methods in 1918 and 1919, respectively. Ernest invented sector mass spectrometers, or calutrons, which were used to separate uranium isotopes during the Manhattan Project. At the Oak Ridge, Tennessee Y-12 plant, which was established during World War II, calitron mass spectrometers were utilized for the purpose of uranium enrichment. Hans and Wolfgang received half of the 1989 Nobel Prize in physics for developing the ion trap method in the 1950s and 1960s. John and Koichi shared the 2002 Nobel Prize in chemistry for their contributions to the development of Electrospray Ionization (ESI) and Soft Laser Desorption (SLD) and their use in the ionization of biological macromolecules, particularly proteins. Three parts make up a mass spectrometer: A detector, a mass analyzer and an ion source. A portion of the sample is transformed into ions by the ionizer. Depending on the sample's phase (solid, liquid or gas) and the effectiveness of various ionization mechanisms for the unknown species, there are numerous ionization techniques. Ions from the sample are removed by an extraction system, which targets them through the mass analyzer and into the detector.

With Regards,
Joseph Kent
Journal Manager
Journal of Der Chemica Sinica