Final answer:
Mass spectrometry separates ions by their mass-to-charge ratios, and the height of peaks in a mass spectrum correlates to ion abundance. This technique is pivotal for analyzing chemical compound structures.
Step-by-step explanation:
Mass spectrometry (MS) separates ions according to their mass-to-charge ratios. MS is an analytical technique used to identify the substances within a sample by vaporizing the sample, ionizing its components, and then passing these ions through a variable electric or magnetic field. The ions' paths are deflected based on their mass and charge, with the resulting ion detection creating a mass spectrum plot that shows the relative number of ions correlated to their mass-to-charge ratios. The height of each peak in the mass spectrum represents the abundance of the corresponding ion. This powerful tool is essential for determining the structure and composition of chemical compounds, and it has applications across multiple fields such as chemistry, medicine, and environmental science.