High-performance liquid chromatographic particle beam mass spectrometric analysis of sesquiterpene lactones with different carbon skeletons

The analyses of 22 C-skeleton sesquiterpene lactone (SL) standards and of extracts of Cardus benedictus L. and Artemisia umbelliformis Lam. were carried out by HPLC-MS coupled through a particle beam interface. The mass spectra were recorded in the electron impact, in positive-ion chemical ionization and electron-capture negative-ion modes, using methane as reactant gas. SLs of the groups cadinanolides, germacranolides, guaianolides, eudesmanolides, secoeudesmanolides and helenanolides were investigated.