Which statement best describes mass spectrometry?

Which statement best describes mass spectrometry?

• A. Analyzes PCR products
• B. Fractionates drugs
• C. Measures HbA1c rapidly
• D. Fragments the molecule and measures the masses

Answer: (D)

Mass spectrometry works by turning molecules into charged particles and then separating those particles by their mass-to-charge ratio. Often, the molecule is fragmented inside the instrument, and the masses of the resulting fragments are measured. This combination of breaking the molecule into pieces and detecting the masses of those pieces provides a fingerprint that helps identify the substance and infer its structure. That makes the statement describing fragmenting the molecule and measuring the masses the best description of what mass spectrometry does. The other statements describe different techniques—analyzing PCR products relates to PCR-based methods, measuring HbA1c rapidly refers to immunoassays or HPLC approaches, and “fractionates drugs” points to separation techniques rather than the core mass-measurement process used in MS.

Mass spectrometry works by turning molecules into charged particles and then separating those particles by their mass-to-charge ratio. Often, the molecule is fragmented inside the instrument, and the masses of the resulting fragments are measured. This combination of breaking the molecule into pieces and detecting the masses of those pieces provides a fingerprint that helps identify the substance and infer its structure. That makes the statement describing fragmenting the molecule and measuring the masses the best description of what mass spectrometry does. The other statements describe different techniques—analyzing PCR products relates to PCR-based methods, measuring HbA1c rapidly refers to immunoassays or HPLC approaches, and “fractionates drugs” points to separation techniques rather than the core mass-measurement process used in MS.