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Gas Source Mass Spectrometry (GS-MS)

Encyclopedia of Geochemistry

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

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Synonyms

Electron bombardment mass spectrometry; Electron impact mass spectrometry

Definition

Gas source mass spectrometry (GS–MS) is the technique and instrumentation used to measure elemental and isotopic compositions of particular elements; these principally include light-element stable isotopes (H, C, N, O, and S) and noble gases (or rare gases) (He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe). GS-MS instrumentation is composed of (1) an ion source for ionizing these elements, (2) an analyzer for separating ions on the basis of the ratio of ionized mass (m) to charge (z), and (3) a detector for counting ions. Figure 1 presents a typical mass spectrometer dedicated for the analyses of stable isotopes.

Figure 1
figure 1

A stable isotope mass spectrometer (Thermo Scientific MAT 253) at the University of Wollongong. This instrument is configured with a dual inlet (note the position of the sample gas and a reference gas). Some features are not evident in the photograph. For example, the collector housing contains six...

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References

  • Brand, W. A., 2004. Mass spectrometer hardware for analysing stable isotope ratios. In de Groot, P. A. (ed.), Handbook of Stable Isotope Analytical Techniques. Amsterdam: Elsevier, Vol. 1, pp. 835–856.

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Correspondence to Masahiko Honda or Allan R. Chivas .

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Honda, M., Chivas, A.R. (2016). Gas Source Mass Spectrometry (GS-MS). In: White, W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geochemistry. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39193-9_199-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39193-9_199-1

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Gas Source Mass Spectrometry (GS-MS)
    Published:
    15 June 2017

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39193-9_199-2

  2. Original

    Gas Source Mass Spectrometry (GS-MS)
    Published:
    23 September 2016

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39193-9_199-1