Mass Spectrometry Quiz

1.
Joseph John Thomson (1856 - 1940), Nobel laureate in physics, is credited with the invention of the mass spectrometer, the discovery of the electron and isotopes of stable elements. A lesser-known fact is his father's profession. What was it?
- Electrical engineer
- Owner of an antiquarian bookshop
- Circus ringmaster
Your answer:

Correct answer:

His father, Joseph James Thomson, ran an antiquarian bookshop founded by Thomson’s great-grandfather. [Wikipedia]
2.
What was the largest number of quadrupoles connected in series for tandem mass spectrometry in a commercial instrument?
- 5
- 7
- 9
Your answer:

Correct answer:

A penta-quadrupole mass spectrometer contains three quadrupole filters and two rf-only quadrupole collision cells. It allows MS³ experiments. Extrel once offered such a spectrometer.
3.
What principle of positive ray detection was used in the first Thomson's parabola spectrographs?
- Phosphorescence of willemite
- Darkening of a photographic plate
- Charge detection using an electrometer
Your answer:

Correct answer:

In the spectrographs used by Thomson until 1910, the rays of positive electricity were detected by the phosphorescence they produced on a willemite screen. The screen was made by grinding rare zinc mineral willemite into a fine powder. After shaking in alcohol, the suspension was allowed to deposit slowly on a glass plate. Later, a photographic plate inside the spectrograph was used for more sensitive detection.
4.
Until 2019, the kilogram unit was defined using an international prototype kept at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in France. The International Prototype of the Kilogram was made of an alloy of platinum and one other metal. The metal was:
- Gold
- Iridium
- Rhenium
Your answer:

Correct answer:

The International Prototype of the Kilogram was a cylinder with a height and diameter of 39 mm made of an alloy of 90% platinum and 10% iridium.
5.
List these compounds according to their increasing mass: hydrazine (H4N2), oxygen (O2), methanol (CH4O).
- Hydrazine, oxygen, methanol
- Methanol, hydrazine, oxygen
- Oxygen, methanol, hydrazine
Your answer:

Correct answer:

The monoisotopic masses of these compounds are 31.989829 Da (oxygen), 32.026215 Da (methanol), and 32.037448 Da (hydrazine).
6.
How long would be a paper needed for printing a profile mass spectrum measured in the m/z 0 1000 range at a resolution of 50,000 at m/z 500 if the peaks were to be 1 mm wide at their half maximum? Let us consider a constant width of all peaks.
- 1 m
- 10 m
- 100 m
Your answer:

Correct answer:

The resolution can be expressed as (m/z)/Δ(m/z), where Δ (m/z) is the peak width at 50 % of its maximum. For a resolution of 50,000 at m/z 500, the value of Δ(m/z) is 0.01. If the Δ(m/z) is to correspond to 1 mm, then the total width of the spectral record equals 1000/0.01 mm, which is 100,000 mm, which is 100 m.
7.
Which element has the largest number of stable isotopes?
- Molybdenum
- Tin
- Ytterbium
Your answer:

Correct answer:

Naturally occurring tin is a mixture of its ten stable isotopes and they are found in the percentages as follows: ¹¹²Sn (1.0 %), ¹¹⁴Sn (0.7 %), ¹¹⁵Sn (0.3 %), ¹¹⁶Sn (14.5 %), ¹¹⁷Sn (7.7 %), ¹¹⁸Sn (24.2 %), ¹¹⁹Sn (8.6 %), ¹²⁰Sn (32.6 %), ¹²²Sn (4.6 %), and ¹²⁴Sn (5.8 %). Molybdenum has six stable isotopes, ytterbium seven.
8.
What is the base peak in the mass spectrum?
- The peak with the greatest m/z value
- The peak from which fragments are formed
- The peak that has the greatest intensity
Your answer:

Correct answer:

The base peak is the peak with the greatest intensity among all peaks in the spectrum. The intensity of each peak in the spectrum is expressed as a percentage relative to the intensity of the base peak.
9.
Chemical ionization (CI) is a soft ionization technique used in mass spectrometry. Who discovered it?
- Burnaby Munson and Frank H. Field
- Michael Barber
- Hans-Dieter Beckey
Your answer:

Correct answer:

Chemical ionization was discovered in the laboratories of the Humble Oil and Refining Company in Baytown, TX. Munson and Field’s seminal paper on chemical ionization was published in 1966. [https://doi.org/10.1021/ja00964a001]
10.
What is the electric charge of an ion with m/z = m?
- 1 C
- 1.602 176 634 x 10^-19 C
- 1 eV
Your answer:

Correct answer:

The particle carries one elementary charge, the value of which is 1.602 176 634 × 10⁻¹⁹ C (exactly).

Mass Spectrometry Quiz

Mass Spectrometry Quiz

Thank you for taking our quiz!

1.
Joseph John Thomson (1856 - 1940), Nobel laureate in physics, is credited with the invention of the mass spectrometer, the discovery of the electron and isotopes of stable elements. A lesser-known fact is his father's profession. What was it?

2.
What was the largest number of quadrupoles connected in series for tandem mass spectrometry in a commercial instrument?

3.
What principle of positive ray detection was used in the first Thomson's parabola spectrographs?

4.
Until 2019, the kilogram unit was defined using an international prototype kept at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in France. The International Prototype of the Kilogram was made of an alloy of platinum and one other metal. The metal was:

5.
List these compounds according to their increasing mass: hydrazine (H4N2), oxygen (O2), methanol (CH4O).

6.
How long would be a paper needed for printing a profile mass spectrum measured in the m/z 0 1000 range at a resolution of 50,000 at m/z 500 if the peaks were to be 1 mm wide at their half maximum? Let us consider a constant width of all peaks.

7.
Which element has the largest number of stable isotopes?

8.
What is the base peak in the mass spectrum?

9.
Chemical ionization (CI) is a soft ionization technique used in mass spectrometry. Who discovered it?

10.
What is the electric charge of an ion with m/z = m?

Czech Museum
of Mass Spectrometry

Our partners

Mass Spectrometry Quiz

Mass Spectrometry Quiz

Thank you for taking our quiz!

1. Joseph John Thomson (1856 - 1940), Nobel laureate in physics, is credited with the invention of the mass spectrometer, the discovery of the electron and isotopes of stable elements. A lesser-known fact is his father's profession. What was it?

2. What was the largest number of quadrupoles connected in series for tandem mass spectrometry in a commercial instrument?

3. What principle of positive ray detection was used in the first Thomson's parabola spectrographs?

4. Until 2019, the kilogram unit was defined using an international prototype kept at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in France. The International Prototype of the Kilogram was made of an alloy of platinum and one other metal. The metal was:

5. List these compounds according to their increasing mass: hydrazine (H4N2), oxygen (O2), methanol (CH4O).

6. How long would be a paper needed for printing a profile mass spectrum measured in the m/z 0 1000 range at a resolution of 50,000 at m/z 500 if the peaks were to be 1 mm wide at their half maximum? Let us consider a constant width of all peaks.

7. Which element has the largest number of stable isotopes?

8. What is the base peak in the mass spectrum?

9. Chemical ionization (CI) is a soft ionization technique used in mass spectrometry. Who discovered it?

10. What is the electric charge of an ion with m/z = m?

Czech Museumof Mass Spectrometry

Our partners

1.
Joseph John Thomson (1856 - 1940), Nobel laureate in physics, is credited with the invention of the mass spectrometer, the discovery of the electron and isotopes of stable elements. A lesser-known fact is his father's profession. What was it?

2.
What was the largest number of quadrupoles connected in series for tandem mass spectrometry in a commercial instrument?

3.
What principle of positive ray detection was used in the first Thomson's parabola spectrographs?

4.
Until 2019, the kilogram unit was defined using an international prototype kept at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in France. The International Prototype of the Kilogram was made of an alloy of platinum and one other metal. The metal was:

5.
List these compounds according to their increasing mass: hydrazine (H4N2), oxygen (O2), methanol (CH4O).

6.
How long would be a paper needed for printing a profile mass spectrum measured in the m/z 0 1000 range at a resolution of 50,000 at m/z 500 if the peaks were to be 1 mm wide at their half maximum? Let us consider a constant width of all peaks.

7.
Which element has the largest number of stable isotopes?

8.
What is the base peak in the mass spectrum?

9.
Chemical ionization (CI) is a soft ionization technique used in mass spectrometry. Who discovered it?

10.
What is the electric charge of an ion with m/z = m?

Czech Museum
of Mass Spectrometry