Qualitative Applications of Mass Spectrometry:

The most general qualitative applications of the mass spectrometry are:

• Determination of molar mass of the analyte
• Determination of molecular formula of the analyte
• Determination of the structure of the analyte
• Recognization of the analyte (alone or in a mixture)

As an organic chemist our aim is primarily to determine the structure of the compound (III above) under analysis. Actually the listing above forms a logical sequence for the same. An analytical chemist on the other hand would be interested in the identification of the analyte and its quantification. Now let us learn about these in the following paragraphs.