Selected ion monitoring is a mass spectrometry

Mass spectrometry

Mass spectrometry is an analytical technique that measures the mass-to-charge ratio of charged particles.It is used for determining masses of particles, for determining the elemental composition of a sample or molecule, and for elucidating the chemical structures of molecules, such as peptides and...

 scanning mode in which only a limited mass-to-charge ratio

Mass-to-charge ratio

The mass-to-charge ratio ratio is a physical quantity that is widely used in the electrodynamics of charged particles, e.g. in electron optics and ion optics. It appears in the scientific fields of lithography, electron microscopy, cathode ray tubes, accelerator physics, nuclear physics, Auger...

 range is transmitted and/or detected by the instrument, as opposed to the full spectrum

Mass spectrum

A mass spectrum is an intensity vs. m/z plot representing a chemical analysis. Hence, the mass spectrum of a sample is a pattern representing the distribution of ions by mass in a sample. It is a histogram usually acquired using an instrument called a mass spectrometer...

 range. This mode of operation typically results in significantly increased sensitivity. Due to their inherent nature, this technique is most effective—and therefore most common—on quadrupole mass spectrometers and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometers.