Abstract
The design of a direct coupling LC/MS interface is described.
A device newly developed is a precisely handcrafted orifice with a pinhole of about 10 μm in diameter. It makes the nebulization of LC effluent successful, introducing mists into the ionization chamber as a stable jet. The solvent vapour of the effluent is utilized as the reagent gas for chemical ionization.
The excellent stability and reproducibility of the nebulized effluent jet were attained and the ionization used here was found to be a soft one. The performance of the device was evaluated in the applicability to thermally labile and non-volatile compounds such as prostaglandins and oligopeptides without any derivatization.
