Mass spectrometry—The early years

In 1913 J.J. Thomson constructed his famous positive-ray parabola apparatus at Cambridge and discovered two isotopes of neon. He subsequently discovered other isotopes. His work confirmed the concept of isotopes and provided an explanation for deviations of atomic weights determined through chemical techniques from the “whole number rule”. This achievement marks the beginning of the field of mass spectroscopy which is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2013. His student Aston extended this work by constructing an instrument that we properly term a mass spectrometer and contributed significantly to our first glimpses into the binding energy of the nucleus. Independently, Dempster constructed a similar instrument at the University of Chicago also provided contributions to our knowledge of nuclear masses. The birth of this field of measurement has its roots in nuclear physics and chemistry. It has grown to be the driver of a huge international industry and is utilized as a tool in almost every field of science. This paper will recount the early days of the field.