• It is the combination of liquid chromatography and the mass spectrometry. • Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) is an analytical chemistry technique that combines the physical separation capabilities of liquid chromatography with the mass analysis capabilities of mass spectrometry. • 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.

1. SAGAR SAVALE 1
Liquid chromatography and the mass spectrometry
(LC-MS)
Mr. Sagar Kishor Savale
(Department of Pharmaceutics, North Maharashtra University, college of
R.C.Patel Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Shirpur, 425405,
Dist.Dhule, Maharashtra.)
avengersagar16@gmail.com

2. SAGAR SAVALE 2
1. Introduction
• It is the combination of liquid chromatography and the mass spectrometry.
• Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) is an analytical chemistry
technique that combines the physical separation capabilities of liquid
chromatography with the mass analysis capabilities of mass spectrometry.
• 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.
• Mass spectrometry is capable of providing structure, molecular weight, empirical
formula, and quantitative information about a specific analytes so, LCMS in recent
years, liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) has become one of the
most powerful analytical techniques for qualitative and quantitative analysis .
• AIMS - To identify the different proteins, peptides drugs in various samples also to
study the bioequivalence in future
2. Advantages of LC-MS
2.1 Provides compound identity.
2.2 Provides sensitive response to most analytes.
2.3 Provides compound class information.
2.4 Provides compound structure.
2.5 Provides sequence information.
2.6 Provides molecular weight information.

3. SAGAR SAVALE 3
2.7 Provides the five 5 Important Criteria
Speed, Selectivity, Specificity, Sensitivity, Low Cost
3. Sample Consideration for LC-MS
3.1 The analytes must have ionizable groups such as Amines, Carboxylic Acids, Ketones
and Aldehydes.
3.2 For best sensitivity, work at a pH where the analytes is ionized
3.3 i.e. for acid, Neutral to basic pH (7-9) and Acidic pH (3-4) for bases.
4. Parts of LC-MS
5. Flow Chart of LC-MS
Sample Column Detector Eluent
Port
Collector
Ionization Source Vacuum
Mass analyzer
Detector
Read out device

4. SAGAR SAVALE 4
6. Liquid Chromatography
6.1 Liquid chromatography is type of chromatography in which analytes molecule get
partitioned between moving mobile phase and stationary phase
6.2 In liquid chromatography mobile phase is always liquid while stationary phase is either
liquid or solid.
6.3 Liquid chromatography includes following chromatographic techniques:
6.3.1 Paper chromatography
6.3.2 Thin layer chromatography
6.3.3 Adsorption column chromatography
6.3.4 High performance liquid chromatography
6.3.5 Ion exchange chromatography
6.3.6 Liquid-liquid chromatography
7. Instrumentation of
1.1 Detectors
1.2 Pumps
1.3 Column heaters
1.4 Auto samplers
8. Applications of LC:
8.1 Separation
8.2 Purification
8.3 Quantification
9. Mass Spectroscopy

5. SAGAR SAVALE 5
9.1 Mass spectroscopy is an analytical technique used to measure the mass-to-charge-
ratio of ions it is most generally used to find the composition of a physical sample by
generating a mass spectrum representing the masses of sample components.
Sample Inlet Ionization source Mass Analyzer Detector Read out
Vacuum
9.2 The stages within the mass spectrometer are:
9.2.1 Producing ions from the sample.
9.2.2 Separating ions of differing masses.
9.2.3 Detecting the number of ions of each mass produced.
9.2.4 Collecting the data and generating the mass spectrum.
9.3 Application of MS
9.3.1 Identifying unknown compounds by the mass of the compound molecules or their
fragments. Determining the isotopic composition of elements in a compound.
9.3.2 Determining the structure of a compound by observing its fragmentation.
9.3.3 Quantifying the amount of a compound in a sample using carefully designed methods.
9.3.4 Determining other physical, chemical, or even biological properties of compounds with
a variety of other approaches.

6. SAGAR SAVALE 6
10. Interfaces Used In LC-MS
10.1. Direct Liquid Introduction
The first attempts to introduce a liquid into an MS using the classic electron impact
ionization (EI)/chemical ionization (CI) source were based on the simple principle that by
minimizing the amount of liquid, the vacuum system would remove the solvent leaving the
analytes in the gas phase for ionization.
Figure 1: Scheme of the DLI interface. 1 _ connection to LC column, 2 _ diaphragm 5 μm
Opening to MS, 3 _ needle valve, 4 _ cooling region, 5 _ to UV detector or waste.
10.2 Moving belt/wire interface
The moving-belt interface separates the condensed liquid-phase side of the LC from the high
vacuum of the MS and uses a belt to transport the analytes from one to the other. The mobile
phase of the LC is deposited on a band and evaporated. The analytes remain on the continuously
cycling belt and are transported from atmospheric pressure into the vacuum of the ion source
through two differentially pumped vacuum locks. A heater in the ion source evaporates the
sample from the belt allowing MS analysis.

7. SAGAR SAVALE 7
Figure 2: Schematic showing the principal components of a moving-belt interface
10.3 Thermo spray Interface
As the name thermo spray implies, heating the liquid flow leaving an LC system creates a
spray of superheated mist containing small liquid droplets.
The most successful method involves directing the liquid flow through an electrically heated
capillary, which can be directly introduced into the MS ion source. The droplets are further
vaporized as they collide against the walls of the heated ion source.
Figure 3: Thermo spray interface.

8. SAGAR SAVALE 8
10.4 Particle Beam Interface (MAGIC)
MAGIC, an acronym for monodisperse aerosol generation interface for chromatography. The
LC eluent is forced through a small nebulizer using a He gas flow to form a stream of uniform
droplets. These droplets move through a desolvation chamber and evaporate to a solid particle.
These particles are separated from the gas and transported into the MS source using a
differentially pumped momentum separator.
10.5 Atmospheric pressure chemical ionization
10.5.1 In APCI, the LC eluent is sprayed through a heated (typically 250°C – 400°C)
vaporizer at atmospheric pressure. The heat vaporizes the liquid.
10.5.2 The resulting gas-phase solvent molecules are ionized by electrons discharged from
a corona needle.
10.5.3 The solvent ions then transfer charge to the analyze molecules through chemical
reactions (chemical ionization).
10.5.4 The analytes ions pass through a capillary sampling orifice into the mass analyzer.
10.5.5 APCI is applicable to a wide range of polar and non polar molecules.

9. SAGAR SAVALE 9
10.5.6 It rarely results in multiple charging so it is typically used for molecules less than
1,500 u.
10.5.7 Because it involves high temperatures, APCI is less well-suited than electrospray for
analysis of large biomolecules that may be thermally unstable.
10.5.8 APCI is used with normal-phase chromatography more often than electrospray is
because the analytes are usually non polar.
Figure 5 Atmospheric pressure chemical ionization
10.6. Atmospheric pressure photoionization
10.6.1 As in APCI, a vaporizer converts the LC eluent to the gas phase.
10.6.2 A discharge lamp generates photons in a narrow range of ionization energies.
10.6.3 The range of energies is carefully chosen to ionize as many analyte molecules as
possible while minimizing the ionization of solvent molecules.
10.6.4 The resulting ions pass through a capillary sampling orifice into the mass analyzer.

10. SAGAR SAVALE 10
Figure 6 Atmospheric pressure photoionization
10.7 Electrospray Ionization (ESI)
The analytes solution flow passes through the electrospray needle that has a high potential
difference (with respect to the counter electrode) applied to it. This forces the spraying of
charged droplets from the needle with a surface charge of the same polarity to the charge on
the needle. The droplets are repelled from the needle towards the source sampling cone on the
counter electrode. As the droplets traverse the space between the needle tip and the cone and
solvent evaporation occurs.
Figure 7 Electrospray Ionization (ESI)

11. SAGAR SAVALE 11
11. Applications
LC-MS USED IN FOLLOWING AREAS
11.1 Drug Discovery
11.2 Clinical Analysis.
11.3 Proteomics
11.4 Forensic Chemistry
11.5 Drug Metabolism study
11.6 Environmental chemistry
11.7 Diagnostic studies.
11.8 Molecular Weight Determination
11.9 Determination Of Molecular Weight Of Green Florescent Protein
11.10 Structural Determination
11.11 Pharmaceutical Applications
11.12 Identification Of Bile Acid Metabolites
11.13 Clinical Applications
11.14 Biochemical Genetics
11.15 Therapeutic Drug Monitoring
12. Conclusion
 The study has been shown that the LC-MS is the valuable tool for analysis of various
biological samples.
 The LCMS provides accuracy, specificity, selectivity & rapid less time consuming.

12. SAGAR SAVALE 12
 Instrumentation of LC-MS is quite complicated but very efficient for their accuracy,
sensitivity.
 It is mostly useful in pharmaceutical industries finds application in pharmacokinetic
study, proteomics, drug development, radio pharmaceutics and clinical analysis & in
toxicological studies.
13. Future Scope
 LC-MS is the technique which have application in future in bioequivalence study.
 It can be use for blood analysis, for detection of drugs whose identity is not known till
now.