Mass spectrometry (MS) is an analytic instrument that is used to measure the mass-to-charge ratios (m/z) of samples to obtain qualitative and quantitative information. The development of MS started ar...Mass spectrometry (MS) is an analytic instrument that is used to measure the mass-to-charge ratios (m/z) of samples to obtain qualitative and quantitative information. The development of MS started around 1920 where it was used to study the isotopic abundance of elements. MS capabilities have increased greatly since 1920.