Final answer:
The krypton ions in a time-of-flight mass spectrometer are accelerated and separated through a series of steps. They are produced in a source and accelerated by applying a potential difference across the source region. Then, the ions enter a drift region where they travel without any applied forces and are separated based on differences in their velocities.
Step-by-step explanation:
The krypton ions are accelerated and separated in a time-of-flight mass spectrometer through a series of steps. First, the krypton ions are produced in a source. Then, they are accelerated by applying a potential difference across the source region, which creates an electric field that accelerates the ions. Next, the accelerated ions enter a drift region where they travel without any applied forces.
The ions of different masses will have different velocities, and this difference in velocity allows them to be separated. Finally, the ions reach a detector where their time of flight is measured, and this information is used to determine their mass-to-charge ratio.