Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
mass-spectrometric

mass-spectrometric

1 5.8
Relating to a machine that measures the weight of tiny molecules
  • adjective
  • /ˌmæs spɛkˈtrɒmɛtrɪk/
  • Specialized
: espectrométrico de masas
  • The isotopes were then measured using mass spectrometric techniques.
  • mass-spectrometric technique

Examples

  • The scientists used mass-spectrometric analysis to determine the composition of the new compound.

  • Although both methods were invented in the 1950s, their precision and accuracy have been boosted during the past decade by new mass spectrometric techniques.

    Academic text (2002)

  • Advanced mass-spectrometric methods have significantly improved drug detection in clinical laboratories.

  • Researchers are developing mass-spectrometric techniques to enhance the study of environmental pollutants.

Synonyms

mass spectroscopic
vsmass-spectrometric
  • Specialized
1 6.4

Of a method that finds the weight and what molecules are made of

is an alternative adjective form used in technical writing

Surface Forms

mass-spectrometric positive

Morphology

mass-spectrometric = mass + spectrometric (semi-transparent) = mass + spectro + metr + ic

The form is compositionally built from 'mass' and the technical adjective 'spectrometric', but the scientific terminology makes the meaning only partly predictable for a general learner.

Etymology

Mass-spectrometric combines mass ('amount of matter'), spectrum ('a range of signals or colours'), and -metric ('measure'). So, it describes methods or machines that 'measure' the masses of tiny particles by creating a spectrum, which is exactly what mass spectrometry does.