2006/02/08 by G. Audi · 1 citation
Chemistry · Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomical and nuclear sciences #Atomic mass #Chemistry #History and advancements in chemistry #Mass spectrometry #Nuclear physics #Physics #Radioactive Decay and Measurement Techniques #nucl-ex #physics.hist-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.ijms.2006.01.048
published as Int.J.Mass Spectr.Ion Process. 251 (2006) 85-94 · 17 pages, Contribution to the special issue of the International Journal of Mass Spectrometry (IJMS) in the honor of the 65th anniversary of Jurgen Kluge's birthday
arxiv created 2006/02/08 · openalex publication_date 2006/03/31 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
This paper is centered on some historical aspects of nuclear masses, and their relations to major discoveries. Besides nuclear reactions and decays, the heart of mass measurements lies in mass spectrometry, the early history of which will be reviewed first. I shall then give a short history of the mass unit which has not always been defined as one twelfth of the carbon-12 mass. When combining inertial masses from mass spectrometry with energy differences obtained in reactions and decays, the conversion factor between the two is essential. The history of the evaluation of the nuclear masses (actually atomic masses) is only slightly younger than that of the mass measurements themselves. In their modern form, mass evaluations can be traced back to 1955. Prior to 1955, several tables were established, the oldest one in 1935.