High-throughput flow injection analysis mass spectrometry with networked delivery of colour rendered results:: the characterisation of liquid chromatography fractions

An automated high-throughput flow injection analysis electrospray-mass spectrometry system originally developed in-house for purity estimation of multiple parallel synthesis combinatorial chemistry samples, was adapted to analyse liquid chromatography fractions. A networked Visual Basic application called RACKVIEWER provides a fast and easy inspection of colour rendered liquid chromatography fraction data, by the synthetic chemists, whether at the main corporate site or the various geographically dispersed Novartis Pharma research institutes. Various depictions of individual well ion currents including colourised three-dimensional maps of the rack's entire ion current, provide data highlighting strategies. Other advantages include allowing the seamless integration of 96-well racks containing the Liquid chromatography fractions into existing quick turnaround high-throughput mass spectrometry queues, and allowing the synthetic chemists a wider a priori choice of MS compatible chromatographic conditions. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.