Separation and positive identification of compounds in complex sample mixtures using on-line,LC-UV/VIS and LC-MS,direct coupling techniques

Summary In many analytical separation problems the retention time is not sufficient to identify the compounds of interest. This is especially true with complex mixtures where additional analytical data are necessary to confirm positively the identity of the separated components. An analytical high-pressure liquid chromatograph has been coupled to a UV/Visible spectrophotometer and a mass spectrometer and used for the separation and subsequent identification of compounds in different plant extracts. The results show that the direct combination of HPLC with on-line detection techniques can be successfully used in the analysis of complex mixtures giving positive identification of components and an overall reduction in analysis time.