Mass spectrum

A mass spectrum displays detected signal against mass-to-charge ratio. Peak positions identify candidate ions; peak areas give isotopic abundances only after the response and overlapping contributions have been accounted for.
Figure 1.
Synthetic neon mass spectra and the weighted mean of neutral atomic masses
. This is a model, not a measured mass spectrum or a reconstruction of Aston's plate. All ions have ; neutral atomic masses approximate ion masses. Chosen Gaussian functions have unit area and widths and in the dimensionless coordinate . Equal responses make component areas equal the displayed reference isotopic abundances. The inset reveals the small neon-21 peak. The bottom diagram places the weighted mean between the component atomic masses; it is not an additional isotope. Details.
Broadening can hide a weak component without changing its area in this ideal model. An actual mass spectrum can also contain molecular ions, different electric charge states, background, and unequal detection responses. A missing visible peak therefore cannot by itself prove the absence of an isotope. Conversely, a fractional atomic weight is a property of a population: there is no requirement for an ion peak at the weighted mean.

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