Direct Coupling of Thin-Layer Chromatography with Mass Spectrometry:

Direct TLC/SIMS and Scanning TLC/SIMS

Abstract

A new technique, direct combination of thin-layer chromatography (TLC) with liquid secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) enables very simple and excellent measuring method for thermally unstable mixture samples such as peptides and drug metabolites. For this technique a small strip of TLC aluminium sheet coated with silica gel taken from the usual developed TLC plate was used as a primary ion target in place of usual silver (metal) plate. In addition to this single spot measuring way, a TLC plate scanning technique was described.