mass spectrometry

noun

: an instrumental method for identifying the chemical constitution of a substance by means of the separation of gaseous ions according to their differing mass and charge

called also mass spectroscopy

mass spectrometric adjective
mass spectrometer noun

Examples of mass spectrometry in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The team used laser ablation mass spectrometry (LA-MS), a technique that uses direct micro-scale sampling to provide high-precision elemental and isotope analyses of solid materials, to scan Neanderthal molars and other hominid fossils. New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2025 Returning to the team's analysis, an isotope is an atom of a specific element that has the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons — and Dottin wanted to check the isotopic ratios of sulfur, which a secondary ion mass spectrometry can measure precisely. Keith Cooper, Space.com, 13 Oct. 2025 Dottin and his team used secondary ion mass spectrometry to analyze the sample. Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2025 Emission spectra, temperature monitoring, and mass spectrometry were used to track any chemical and thermal changes during the experiment. Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mass spectrometry

Word History

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mass spectrometry was in 1926

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Cite this Entry

“Mass spectrometry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mass%20spectrometry. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.

Medical Definition

mass spectrometry

noun
: an instrumental method for identifying the chemical constitution of a substance by means of the separation of gaseous ions according to their differing mass and charge

called also mass spectroscopy

mass spectrometric adjective
mass spectrometrically adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on mass spectrometry

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