What are the general steps of mass spectrometry?

1. ionization: the sample is ionized by a beam of electrons, because of which an electron is removed, creating cationic ions. 2. acceleration: all ions undergo acceleration through an electric or magnetic field, to have the same amounts of kinetic energy. 3. deflection: depending on the mass-to-charge ratio, the ions will undergo different amounts of deflection in the magnetic field. small ions and ions with a greater positive charge will get deflected more. 4. detection: a detector, such as an electron multiplier, will detect all cationic ions. neutral and anionic ions are removed by a vacuum.