The Mass Spectrometer

Isotopes of the same element have the same chemical properties so cannot be seaparated using
chemical reactions. The mass spectrometer provides a way determining the mass of individual
nuclei and separating the isotopes. A mass spectrometer is shown schematically below.

If the magnetic field has strength and the speed of the isotope with charge is
then the
magnetic force is of magnitude
and is at right angles to the velocity of the particle always,
so forces the particle to move in a circle.

The centripetal force the force acting towards the centre of the circle is
magnetic to the centripetal force gives

Equating the

Rearrangement of this gives

If the ions have the same charge and are selected to be travelling with the same speed, then the
radius of the circle will be proportional to the mass. The mass spectrometer can thus easily find
the masses of different isotopes.