Mass Spectroscopy - GRE Subject Test: Chemistry

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Question

Determining the molecular ion peak (parent peak) in mass spectroscopy allows you to determine what characteristic of a mystery molecule?

Answer

The molecular ion peak is determined using mass spectrometry. The parent peak is formed when a mystery molecule does not fragment, and simply loses an electron. This means that the mass to charge ratio of this peak will allow us to determine the molecular weight of the compound.

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