accelerator mass spectrometry A form of mass spectrometry that accelerates ions to very high kinetic energies before analysis, allowing separation of rare isotopes from more abundant isotopes. As an ultrasensitive technique, it is used to study drug metabolism and is especially suited to microdosing studies (e.g., absolute bioavailability and Phase 0 studies).
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acceptance criteria Predefined criteria, such as for accuracy or precision, used for accepting or rejecting an experimental outcome.
7. accuracy The proximity of the determined value to the nominal or known true value. Percentage accuracy is calculated as (determined value/true value) × 100.
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accurate mass In mass spectrometry, determination of the mass of an analyte with sufficient accuracy to enable the elemental composition to be found. Only high-resolution (also see ‘High-resolution mass spectrometry (HR-MS)’) instruments are capable of accurate mass readings.
