Mass spectrometry
Welcome to the School of Chemistry Mass Spectrometry Facility. The aim of this web site is to be the first point of contact for those wishing to use the mass spectrometry facility at Bristol University. We would also like to welcome external readers who might like to find out about mass spectrometry at Bristol. We can also offer a service to external users.
As well as detailing the School Mass Spectrometry Service & Facility, this web site also serves as an information and education resource for undergraduates, postgraduates and academic staff with details of the theory and applications of mass spectrometry. The history page also has an brief overview of the development of the technique.
Weighing molecules
The idea of using magnetic field to separate ions of different masses has been around for about a century. Recent developments allow us to do this for ever more complex molecules.
The mass spectrometry facilities at Bristol enable us to look at molecular ions and fragmentation patterns for almost any species including biological samples that were, until a few years ago, impossible to study using these techniques.