PLANAR CHROMATOGRAPHY COUPLED TO MASS-SPECTROMETRY

Applications of thin-layer chromatography/mass spectrometry are expanding rapidly due to commercial availability of the devices, and improved understanding of the procedures required to measure good quality mass spectrometric data. Several of the common approaches to TLC/MS coupling are pursued in our laboratory; recent focus has been on techniques of sample preparation and plate treatment that allow direct TLC/MS analysis to be completed on almost any instrument. Specific examples to be covered are the direct derivatization of alkaloid samples on Empore TLC plates for volatilization into an electron/chemical ionization source, development and concentration of thin-film fluorescent dyes for analysis by liquid secondary ion mass spectrometry (LSIMS), and the use of a CCD-based imaging system to explore the integration of optical and mass spectrometric information for the characterization of samples separated by thin layer chromatography.