quadrupole spectrometer

quadrupole spectrometer

[′kwä·drə‚pōl spek′träm·əd·ər] (analytical chemistry) A type of mass spectroscope in which ions pass along a line of symmetry between four parallel cylindrical rods; an alternating potential superimposed on a steady potential between pairs of rods filters out all ions except those of a predetermined mass. Also known as Massenfilter.