MASS-SPECTROMETRY - RECENT ADVANCES AND FUTURE-DIRECTIONS

The discipline of mass spectrometry is nearly a century old. Like any experimental scientific endeavor, the machines and the science get irr etrievably mixed with the development of one stimulating the other in a symbiotic manner. In this paper the authors select a few of the impo rtant recent successes to highlight the incredible growth of mass spec trometry over the past several decades. The topic choices made are per sonal but hopefully serve as an indicator of the current excitement in this rapidly evolving field. Selections are made from nuclear physics , through the broad spectrum of the chemical sciences, to the borders of biology.