Fast, generic gradient high performance liquid chromatography coupled to fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry for the accurate mass analysis of mixtures

Fast gradient high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been combined with a commercially available Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometer for the routine and high performance analysis of mixtures. With this combination we were able to separate and detect, under high mass accuracy conditions, a six-component drug mixture in less than 5 minutes. The fast gradients described are now possible due to the development of mechanically robust, ultra pure silica packing materials, which allow relatively high flow rates (ca. 1 mL/min for a 2 mm diameter column). For the six compounds present in the model mixture, relative mass errors of less than 1 ppm were obtained (based on an external calibration) providing sufficient mass accuracy to make unequivocal assignments of empirical formulae. Preliminary results of fast gradient HPLC/FTICR-MS/MS are also shown for the same six-component mixture. Copyright 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.