| In 1918, Dempster developed the first modern mass spectrometer, a scientific aparatus allowing physicists to identify compounds by the mass of elements in a sample, and determine the isotopic composition of elements in a sample. Dempster's mass spectrometer
was over 100 times more accurate than previous versions, and established the basic theory and design of mass spectrometers
that is still used to this day. Dempster's research over his career centered around the mass spectrometer and its applications,
leading in 1935 to his discovery of the uranium isotope 235U. This isotope's ability to cause a rapidly expanding fission nuclear chain reaction allowed the development of the atom
bomb and nuclear power.
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