What is LC/MS?
LC/MS stands for Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry. It refers to the combination of liquid chromatographic separation with mass spectrometric detection. The combination of these two powerful techniques gives the chemical analyst the ability to analyze virtually any molecular species; including, thermally labile, non-volatile, and high molecular weight species. It has been said that over 80% of known organic species are amenable to separation with liquid chromatography.(1) Mass spectrometry is capable of providing structure, molecular weight, empirical formula, and quantitative information about a specific analyte. The bird and fish metaphor, first described by Patrick Arpino (2) depicts love between totally incompatible species. Mass spectrometry, represented by the bird, is a powerful detection technique for gas-phase ions. Liquid Chromatography, represented by the fish, is a liquid-phase separation technique. Liquids are incompatible with operating conditions of the mass spectr
