Question

A painting is suspected of being a forgery. How could mass spectrometry determine the status of the work of art?

It shows how light reflects off the paint.
It shows the underdrawings of the paint used.
It reveals the patterns of craquelure in the art.
It determines the chemical makeup of the paint.

Answer 1

It determines the chemical makeup of the paint.

Step-by-step explanation:

Typically, mass spectrometers can be used to identify unknown compounds via molecular weight determination, to quantify known compounds, and to determine structure and chemical properties of molecules.