Mass spectrometry (MS) measures the mass-to-charge ratio of ions to identify molecules in mixtures. MS works by ionizing samples, separating the ions by mass using electric or magnetic fields, and detecting the ions. Common applications include proteomics. Modern MS techniques like MALDI and ESI allow analyzing large biomolecules like proteins by producing intact molecular ions. Time-of-flight, quadrupoles, and orbitraps are commonly used to separate ions by mass. MS provides sensitive, specific detection down to attomole levels and has become an important analytical tool across many fields.