Question

I'm pretty confused about mass resolution. The resolution of my instrument is 1000 and I have two masses at 85.0639 and 85.0651. So, the difference is 0.0012. I know that (M1-M2)=M/R. But, I'm not sure if my spectrometer will be able to separate these ions.

Answer 1

The resolution of a mass spectrometer determines its ability to distinguish between closely spaced masses. In this case, the resolution of 1000 indicates that the instrument can separate the two ions with a mass difference of 0.0012.

Step-by-step explanation:

In mass spectrometry, the mass resolution refers to the ability of the instrument to distinguish between two closely spaced masses. It is calculated by dividing the difference in mass by the resolution of the instrument.

In your case, the difference in mass between the two masses is 0.0012. If the resolution of your instrument is 1000, then the instrument will be able to separate these ions, as the calculated resolution is 0.0012/1000 = 0.0000012.