Researched
Mass Spectrometry
Aston's mass spectrograph (1919) sorts atoms by weight and shows that elements have isotopes.
Open in the interactive tree →Building on Thomson's ion beams, Francis Aston found the isotopes neon-20 and neon-22 and later those of most elements (Nobel Prize 1922). Mass spectrometers now date rocks, analyse proteins and trace pollutants.
Prerequisites
Unlocks
- Radiometric age of the Earth1956Mass spectrometers measure the isotope ratios used in radiometric dating
- Fullerenes1985