Spectral skewing is the term used to describe the phenomenon of the changes in relative intensities of mass spectral peaks due to the changes in concentration of the analyte

Analyte

An analyte, or component , is a substance or chemical constituent that is of interest in an analytical procedure. Grammatically, it is important to note that experiments always seek to measure properties of analytes—and that analytes themselves can never be measured. For instance, one cannot...

 in the ion source

Ion source

An ion source is an electro-magnetic device that is used to create charged particles. These are used primarily to form ions for mass spectrometers, optical emission spectrometers, particle accelerators, ion implanters and ion engines.- Electron ionization :...

 as the mass 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...

 is scanned; this situation occurs routinely as chromatographic

Chromatography

Chromatography is the collective term for a set of laboratory techniques for the separation of mixtures....

 components elute

Elution

Elution is a term used in analytical and organic chemistry to describe the process of extracting one material from another by washing with a solvent ....

 into a continuous ion source.

Spectral skewing is not observed in ion trap

Ion trap

An ion trap is a combination of electric or magnetic fields that captures ions in a region of a vacuum system or tube. Ion traps have a number of scientific uses such as mass spectrometery and trapping ions while the ion's quantum state is manipulated...

 (quadrupole

Quadrupole ion trap

A quadrupole ion trap exists in both linear and 3D varieties and refers to an ion trap that uses constant DC and radio frequency oscillating AC electric fields to trap ions. It is commonly used as a component of a mass spectrometer...

 (this has been seen also in QMS) or magnetic) or time-of-flight

Time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Time-of-flight mass spectrometry is a method of mass spectrometry in which an ion's mass-to-charge ratio is determined via a time measurement. Ions are accelerated by an electric field of known strength. This acceleration results in an ion having the same kinetic energy as any other ion that has...

 (TOF) mass analyzers because potentially all ion

Ion

An ion is an atom or molecule in which the total number of electrons is not equal to the total number of protons, giving it a net positive or negative electrical charge. The name was given by physicist Michael Faraday for the substances that allow a current to pass between electrodes in a...

s formed in operational cycle (a snapshot in time) of the instrument are available for detection.