From the origins of mass spectrometry in 1918/9, and its use for the discovery of isotopes over the next two decades, mass spectrometry began to be practiced in Australia, like much of the rest of the world, in the 1940s.

The first mass spectrometer built as an isotope separator was constructed in 1947 at the University of Melbourne. The first commercial instrument - a CEC21102 - was purchased by CSIRO at Fisherman's Bend in Melbourne. It was operational in 1949 and was used by James Morrison (photo left) working for Ian Wark. See CSIRO history

ANZSMS will celebrate 60 years of mass spectrometry in Australia at its next biennial conference ANZSMS22.

More historical events and retrospectives can be found on the ANZSMS web site history pages