Liquid Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) Technology

LC–MS (Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry) is a technique that merges the physical separation of HPLC with the remarkable mass analysis capabilities of MS, used for separation, identification, and quantification of both unknown and known compounds as well as to elucidate the structure and chemical properties of different molecules. The coupling of MS with LC systems is attractive because liquid chromatography can separate delicate and complex natural mixtures, which chemical composition needs to be well established (e.g., biological fluids, environmental samples, and drugs). The major advantages of this technology include sensitivity, specificity and precision as analysis is done at molecular level. Also, structural details of the analyte can be deciphered.