Mass spectrometry
The technique measures the mass-to-charge ratio of ions. The first step is to ionize the sample (for example by bombarding it with electrons) and then send it through an electric field. The mass/charge can be measured by the deflection generated by the electric field.
Mass spectrometry is traditionally coupled with separation methods, such as HPLC (I assume the rationale is to get a cleaner sample and thus a cleaner result).
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