FOURIER TRANSFORM- ION CYCLOTRON MASS RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY

Mass spectrometry is essentially a technique for "weighing" molecules. Mass spectrometry is based upon the motion of a charged particle, called an ion, in an electric or magnetic field. Mass spectrometry relies on the formation of gas-phase ions (positively or negatively charged) that can be isolated electrically (or magnetically) based on their mass-to-charge ratio ( m/z ). Where as in Fourier transform ion cyclotron mass resonance spectroscopy(FTICR-MS) the m/z ratio measurement of an ion is based upon the ion's motion or cyclotron frequency in a magnetic field. Ions are detected by passing near detection plates and thus differently from other mass detectors/analysers in which ions are hitting a detector (at different times or places),The ions are trapped in a magnetic field combined with electric field perpendicular to each other (Penning trap). They are excited to perform a cyclotron motion. The cyclotron frequency depends on the ratio of electric charge to mass (m/z) and strength of the magnetic field.This spectrometric analysis can provide important information about the analytes, including their structure, purity, and composition