The Role of Naturally Occurring Stable Isotopes in Mass Spectrometry, Part I: The Theory.

In this tutorial, the authors explain how naturally occurring stable isotopes are contributing to experimentally determined mass spectra and how this information can be exploited in quantitative experiments, structural elucidation studies and tracer methodologies. The first instalment of this two part series focuses on the theoretical aspects of stable isotopes and the calculation of their distribution patterns.